The Hindu : Front Page : Car owners switching over to gas conversion

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Oct 18, 2005

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Car owners switching over to gas conversion

Staff Reporter

`Conversion could cut down fuel cost by not less than 35 per cent'

TIRUCHI: With escalating fuel costs picking gaping holes in the pockets of many a middle-class car owner, many have begun to contemplate on advantages in `gas conversion.'

As conversion is permissible, a handful of government approved Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) tank fitters here are receiving numerous enquiries about the cost involved in the process.

Tank fitters, who undertake the task and get endorsement from the Regional Transport Office, assert that conversion could cut down fuel cost by not less than 35 per cent.

In the absence of an outlet, these gas fitters are authorised to fill the tanks by transferring gas from commercial cylinders. Despite recent increase in the cost of a 17 kg commercial cylinder by Rs. 100 to Rs. 725, and the slight disadvantage of LPG tank fitted cars when it comes to litre-wise consumption vis-à-vis mileage and pick-up, between petrol and gas, conversion is still considered a viable option for those who run over 500 km a month, according to tank fitters. They save a few hundreds of rupees every month in the process.

According to them, over 1,000 LPG tank fitted cars are plying on Tiruchi roads.

Most of the car owners are BHEL employees, and T-board car drivers, said an LPG tank fitter.

Most of the call taxi operators in the city have fitted their cars with LPG tanks to survive in business.

On an average, cars do not run for more than 15 km per litre of petrol in city driving conditions, and the cost works out to Rs. 3.50 per km.

The investment on an LPG tank and obtaining RTO endorsement ranges between Rs. 15,000 and Rs. 20,000 depending on the kits used for cars of different makes. But, in the long run, the middle-class car owners opine the investment makes sense.

Anticipating rampant use of domestic cylinders in cars, the Food Cell police, on their part, are keeping a constant vigil, and this has prompted the car owners, who hitherto had been using domestic cylinders on the sly, to go for legal conversion of fuel tank.

Meanwhile, an oil company has initiated measures to start an exclusive LPG outlet in the city, it is learnt.

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