In December 2008 I got my 1977 VW Type 2 Bay Window campervan "Max" converted to run additionally on Liquified Petroleum Gas (as well as petrol). Hurray! Below are some pics of the process, but it general, even around £1000, it was well worth the money!
Even at 5,000 miles a year, Max would make that money back in petrol savings in well under 2 years, possibly in 1 year (even with a disgraceful 15 MPG), with the price of LPG (less than 50p a litre) now often half of that of petrol. There is an excellent calculator at http://www.drivelpg.co.uk/savings_calculator.php. LPG is not quite as efficient as petrol because it has a lower energy density, and this calculation includes a typical 20% MPG loss.
They say wear and tear on the engine is less, too. In fact this FEELS the case, just driving along. Apparently my oil will also last longer without changing (which is an issue in an Air-Cooled (or rather, an oil-cooled...) VW).
Environmentally, LPG is not a panacea. But LPG does give a 10-20% carbon dioxide reduction in comparison to petrol. LPG also delivers 80% lower nitrous oxide emissions than diesel and produces zero particulate emissions.[1] That means that if cars generally ran on LPG there would be no smog, no asthma...
Surprise advantages!
- is smoother generally, with less bumpy gear changes
- starts up much MUCH more easily (see about the pre-heater below)
- can go into 2nd and 3rd gear earlier and leave later
Amazing!
How it works
The tank is apparently essentially indestructible. They test a tank from each batch by putting them on bonfires - for 5 hours. If they expand by than 1mm, they're faulty.
That then leads to a pre-heater. I think this is the clever bit. Basically it turns out that the LPG is pre-heated by an addition to the exhaust, in exactly the same way as the heat exchanger works to heat the cab. You can see it in the bottom right. I believe the top left device is a pre-pre-heater which heats the gas when starting from cold (i.e. before the exhaust itself is hot at all). Steve from Gasure counsels me to click the ignition on 3 times to do this pre-heating in cold weather, before finally turning the key all the way. This means, crucially, that, instead of (after FINALLY getting the cold engine started...) waiting to warm it up for 10 minutes - with my foot on the throttle to stop it stalling - I can now drive away almost straight away!
Excitingly, this bypasses my dodgy carburettor!
The mixing process runs itself,
and the inlet is controlled by a tiny switch under
the dashboard, which also has 4 LED lights indicating the tank
level. The switch cycles through several settings: Gas inlet only, Gas
and petrol inlet (meant for temporary use only, only long enough for
the carb to fill with petrol and kick in), Petrol only, None (the motor
will continue until the carb empties itself of petrol, at which point
you switch it back to...) Gas inlet only.Amazing eh?
Green(er), cheaper and nicer to drive! Hurray!
This is Steve from Gasure. I think he might actually be Father Christmas. He made Max's.
Max, flying.
Installing the tank, under the passenger bench seat.
