Converting to LPG
Discussion
Hi all. We are in the process of converting our 2 vehicles to LPG. I am working on a deal for both our cars and the installer has offered a discount for our two vehicles. He will offer more of a discount to all if there are more kits sold either installed or just supplied. If your seriously interested let me know and once we have numbers we can work on the discount rate. If no one's interested that's fine as we will be getting them done regardless. My apologies if this post is in anyway inappropriate. If so please delete it :-)
It's a good idea. Workmate of mine bought a PETROL Landcruiser (FULL-sized one, not a Prado) a couple years back... 4.5L petrol engine... did the LPG conversion and it's now surprisingly economical to run. It was only costing him a few cents more per km to run than his 1.5L Nissan Sunny!
LPG is a real loophole in the law.... it's cheaper to produce and it's not taxed NEARLY as much because MOST LPG cars are commercial vehicles (couriers and taxis). Be sure though that this won't last because once more private vehicles start using it as they inevitably will be (with more expensive petrol) the Labour policy of "if it moves, tax it", I'm sure the poor people that invest in an LPG conversion will find that it's not long before it costs them a whole lot more than they budgeted to fill up.
LPG is a real loophole in the law.... it's cheaper to produce and it's not taxed NEARLY as much because MOST LPG cars are commercial vehicles (couriers and taxis). Be sure though that this won't last because once more private vehicles start using it as they inevitably will be (with more expensive petrol) the Labour policy of "if it moves, tax it", I'm sure the poor people that invest in an LPG conversion will find that it's not long before it costs them a whole lot more than they budgeted to fill up.
They did that in the mid/late '80s - I had a student job working for the Ministry of Energy with the group administering the loans scheme (building a present value model for all the loans using Lotus 1-2-3 on an Olivetti XT compatible PC with a massive 10MB hard disk and 256KB RAM... oh the power! but that's another story).
The deal on offer was a 3 year interest free loan from the government for the cost of the conversion, applications made by the customer and installer and submitted via the banks. Sounds good but... there was massive fraud and ultimately many millions of dollars of taxpayer money written off when the balance of the loans were 'sold' off to a private sector finance company. At one stage I was processing loan applications and recall seeing many loans processed from Otahuhu and Otara which never even had the first repayment made and the customer nowhere to be found.
If properly administered this may be a good idea, but I have little confidence that our government could manage that.
The deal on offer was a 3 year interest free loan from the government for the cost of the conversion, applications made by the customer and installer and submitted via the banks. Sounds good but... there was massive fraud and ultimately many millions of dollars of taxpayer money written off when the balance of the loans were 'sold' off to a private sector finance company. At one stage I was processing loan applications and recall seeing many loans processed from Otahuhu and Otara which never even had the first repayment made and the customer nowhere to be found.
If properly administered this may be a good idea, but I have little confidence that our government could manage that.
I agree with Mr. 005 ... this govt couldn't manage their way out of a paper bag. Not without holding years worth of subcommittee meetings, focus groups, RMA meetings etc all to commission a feasibility study to see if it's worth thinking about talking about doing something, all of which will employ THOUSANDS of public servants and keep them on the government payroll for 17 years until they run out of money and scrap the whole plan due to lack of resources.
Cynical? you f
g bet I am!
Cynical? you f
g bet I am!jamieheasman said:
What's the cost of the conversion? You've got to offset the cost against the difference in fuel prices to work out whether or not it's worth it.
How much is LPG at the moment?
How much is LPG at the moment?
Around $3-3500. Both our cars are fuel injected which makes it more expensive. We haven't decided on a whim. I am quite thorough. Our current fuel bill per month is between $500 and $1000. LPG is 75c (at our local gas station) vs premium 96 @ $1.819 www.pricewatch.co.nz/
I've done the homework and it's considerably cheaper and even better if the install price comes down. Reality is fuel prices WILL increase and I don't think we will see 96 at $1.50 again. I may be wrong. We have a Nissan Serena (2ltr) and a Mazda SP20 (2ltr). We are buying a Holden Vectra S/W and selling the SP20. We will convert the Serena and the Vectra. The spare wheel isn't an issue. They make donut tanks which go in the spare wheel well and have a "spare in a can" or we could fit a torpedo tank in the van or the back of the s/wagon. Come time to sell we will remove the unit's and refit to our next vehicles. To me it's a no brainer. We had a Mazda 1800cc Capella which was factory dedicated LPG and that cost $26 to Auckland until it got T-boned
Edited by Kiwi Carguy on Tuesday 25th July 02:11
A bit off-course, here, but I have a friend whose business partner('s aunty's neighbour's cousin's brother's florist's husband's mate) just spent a lot of time and money importing German technology for biodiesel and went into supposedly 50/50 partnership with big petrochemical co. (which shall remain nameless to protect the innocent) only to have (un)said large conglomerate do the dirty on them and reneg on contract.(Kind of like the property- developer who chops down the 300 yr old tree and just budgets for the penalty fine)
Anyway...biodiesel is on its way, but will be a blend with regular diesel and probably won't be any cheaper....
Anyway...biodiesel is on its way, but will be a blend with regular diesel and probably won't be any cheaper....
Kiwi XTR2 said:
Wouldn't that make it illegal for trackdays? 
I was considering it www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=62498312
Esprit said:
roger A said:
what about availability countrywide when you're LPG dedicated-or will you stay dual-fuel?
You generally stay dual-fuel. Fuel injected cars need to start on petrol then immediately switch over to gas once running. It's all done automatically and works a treat.
Yes being dedicated LPG was a wee bit of a pain but the car ran so well and was sooo cheap. My wife had one incident late at night in Hamilton were she was almost out of LPG and the attendant wasn't allowed to operate the LPG and my wife wasn't allowed to either so she had to drive around and find another station to fill up at. Our cars will be Dual Fuel as stated above. Funnily enough buying the 2.2 Vectra which is a larger S/W with more power and torque will result in around the same consumption as the SP20 judging buy figures I found on the internet and the Vectra runs on 91 were the SP20 is 96 (and runs like crap on 91). Most of our travelling is locally and there are plenty of LPG pumps around. You can aslo get pamplets from BP etc which shows all the sites that have LPG throughout NZ. Removing the larger fuel tank is an option if you are limited for space but neither of our vehicles will require that and the "donut tanks" usually fix that issue. Hopefully I'm grinning from ear to ear when next year gas is $2.20p/l
I can see the post's now on PH. Cost me $120 to fill the (insert your car here). Incidently anyone see the comparison on TV1 news of LPG vs petrol vs diesel. How far $50 would get you starting at WGTN. It was a shame they didn't calculate the effect of RUC.
Edited by Kiwi Carguy on Tuesday 25th July 06:12
Kiwi Carguy.... just beware... most of the gost benefit in LPG comes from its lower tax take CF diesel/petrol.
At the moment it's in the govt's interest to do this because not many private people run LPG vehicles, mainly couriers/taxis. It's in their interest to keep tax on that low.... with the explosion (pun intended) in LPG powered private vehicles, it'll only take someone to look at the potential tax-take they're missing out on and someone in Labour to make an "adjustment" to this overnight to bring it into line with petrol and then BAM... overnight you'll be paying 1.80 per litre for LPG C/F $2.00 for petrol.
Trust me, it'll happen.
At the moment it's in the govt's interest to do this because not many private people run LPG vehicles, mainly couriers/taxis. It's in their interest to keep tax on that low.... with the explosion (pun intended) in LPG powered private vehicles, it'll only take someone to look at the potential tax-take they're missing out on and someone in Labour to make an "adjustment" to this overnight to bring it into line with petrol and then BAM... overnight you'll be paying 1.80 per litre for LPG C/F $2.00 for petrol.
Trust me, it'll happen.
Esprit said:
Kiwi Carguy.... just beware... most of the gost benefit in LPG comes from its lower tax take CF diesel/petrol.
At the moment it's in the govt's interest to do this because not many private people run LPG vehicles, mainly couriers/taxis. It's in their interest to keep tax on that low.... with the explosion (pun intended) in LPG powered private vehicles, it'll only take someone to look at the potential tax-take they're missing out on and someone in Labour to make an "adjustment" to this overnight to bring it into line with petrol and then BAM... overnight you'll be paying 1.80 per litre for LPG C/F $2.00 for petrol.
Trust me, it'll happen.
At the moment it's in the govt's interest to do this because not many private people run LPG vehicles, mainly couriers/taxis. It's in their interest to keep tax on that low.... with the explosion (pun intended) in LPG powered private vehicles, it'll only take someone to look at the potential tax-take they're missing out on and someone in Labour to make an "adjustment" to this overnight to bring it into line with petrol and then BAM... overnight you'll be paying 1.80 per litre for LPG C/F $2.00 for petrol.
Trust me, it'll happen.
Possibly but when we enter into the world of politics who knows what those crazy $&^*8@* will do. In some ways your damned if you do and your damned if you don't. Then there's the whole promoting it because it's cleaner etc. I'm gonna take the punt. Be stuffed if I trust in the Govt. If I did that in life I'd never get anything done!!!
Donut tank in a Commowhore
Edited by Kiwi Carguy on Tuesday 25th July 06:35
Kiwi XTR2 said:
Call me the Phantom Forum Killer
You guys were going a-mile-a-minute. One post from me about Diesel and it dries up like mormon's liquor cabinet.
"Behold my power and tremble"
PFK
Hahaha...I thought the same thing...sheesh Graham you party pooper.
You guys were going a-mile-a-minute. One post from me about Diesel and it dries up like mormon's liquor cabinet.
"Behold my power and tremble"
PFK
Either that or there was some Desperate Housewives marathon that I didn't know about
Hahaha...I thought the same thing...sheesh Graham you party pooper.
Edited by Kiwi Carguy on Tuesday 25th July 19:50
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