[V8] LPG conversion

[Roger M. Woodbury]

After last week’s spate of posts about LPG conversions, some of which were mine, I did a bit of research into the availability of LPG for use as a motor fuel on a retail basis.  

I called one of our largest fuel importers/distributors/retailer organizations here in Maine (Canadian based Irving Oil), and have yet to receive an answer.  I also called the state association of fuel dealers and have yet to receive an answer.  I also spoke with my own fuel supplier who does not deliver propane at all and found some interesting information.

First of all, it would appear that there may be one retailer within twenty miles of where I live who can actually sell propane for vehicular use, maybe.  Mostly they fill small to medium sized bottles for domestic use or perhaps for use in vehicles such as forklift trucks, but since no one in the area knows of anyone using propane in a vehicle, it appears that there may be NO retail availability.

The killer may well be the current price per gallon of LPG delivered, which is right around $3 per gallon.

In the end, the question of LPG use as a motor fuel in this part of the country anyway, boils down to whether the intended use and miles that the vehicle will be used will be enough to justify what is a relatively small savings over the price of a gallon of gasoline.  Currently gasoline here is $3.78-.80 per gallon.  If the front end cost of a conversion of a vehicle to LPG, either dual fuel or strictly propane, is between $1800 and $3500 (which appears to be the case), AND the achievable fuel mileage on propane is ten percent less than gasoline,  how many miles will the car have to roll to justify what may be less than $1 per gallon savings.  

It seem unlikely that if gasoline rises in price above $4 per gallon, there will not be a commensurate rise in price for propane.  And this is assuming that the state and feds don’t figure out that when propane is used as a motor fuel, so also should it be taxed as a motor fuel, which would result in a rise of at least sixty five cents per gallon.

Roger