PC LPG Conversion

A few people in Europe have converted a Prius to lpg with success. There is someone on the UK forums looking at converting an IQ to lpg. I guess there's no reason why you can't convert the C either. An lpg hybrid would cost barely nothing to run wouldn't it.

 

Nobody does it in the US but Europe you see it per Grumpy. Several past threads here you can search on.

 

I can hear the Yorkshireman coming through in that one.

 

Cuts your fuel bill in half, almost to Canadian levels . There is a bit of inconvenience with lpg in that you can lose boot/trunk space depending on the installation and you need to service them to make sure they don't leak over time. Then there can be insurance issues as not all insurers like the conversion, though many don't mind either. Oh and some multistory car parks, tunnels and ferry's won't let you in/on.

But lpg does burn cleaner, much cleaner and each to their own

 

My dad ran his pickup truck on LPG for years. Filled it up himself behind the house from our storage tank. Saved a ton of money no doubt, but the truck was undeniably sluggish off the mark.

 

If I brake down the total cost per km then I get around 25 EUR/100 km, petrol cost me only 6,6 EUR/100 km. I do 20k km per year.

LPG does cost half the petrol, but it also has less energy content per liter, so the actual saving in my country is 30-40% on fuel. Professional conversion with valve lube cost around €2,000, do the math how many km you have to drive.

 

I think you have to think carefully about whether it's viable and worth the hassle. Not all cars like it either and throw CE lights because of the lower emissions. I was really close to getting a 3.0 V6 petrol automatic Peugeot 607 as a cab and then converting it to lpg. Mainly because they were next to worthless and nobody wanted a big thirsty French car when a more economical diesel auto version was available, but cost much more.

But the loss of luggage space and the extra hassle involved made me change my mind. Still wish I'd got it as I do have a thing for big Peugeots and the 607 was a cracking car considering it was released 14 years ago.



And searching for that pic brought my attention to some of the shortcomings of lpg;


Blast! All I wanted was a quick ciggie: Driver's lucky escape as liquid gas car explodes | Daily Mail Online

I digress - again

 

Everything has it's shortcomings, and LPG is no different. Obviously, if the LPG leaks out, it could explode. Gasoline is no less flammable, but we accept the risks. Electric vehicles have their dangers also, but we can't live riskless lives.

At first glance, LPG seems a natural mate for a hybrid vehicle, but space is a real concern, especially since both batteries and LPG tanks take up more space than a gasoline tank. I'm not sure the benefits outweigh the costs here.

 

Hi .im a private hire driver in glasgow. Got my 2010 prius converted to LPG about 3 months ago after taxying for about a year on petrol. I have to say its the best thing i have ever done. The tank is where the spare tyre was. 3 months on and nearly 12000 miles on lpg. Pure brilliant. Before £48 petrol done about 450 miles. Now £20 LPG and i get about 360 miles. Wow.

 

Any chance of posting some pictures and product specs? When I was in the private hire game I nearly converted to lpg but the local company closed about a week before I saw them, so never bothered going further afield.

Even with petrol prices coming down I still like the idea of filling up for £20

 

Will do grumpy cabbie