LPG Conversion Kits

LPG Conversion Kits UK

LPG Conversion Kits UK

Autogas has been ‘the norm’ in other countries for years. It is only recently that thousands of people have decided to make the conversion to LPG using a conversion kit in the UK. In this guide, we will explore LPG Conversion Kits in the UK in more detail.

Number of UK Companies

A decade ago you would have done well to find a garage that had a LPG qualified mechanic; however, more and more garages are now hiring these mechanics due to high demand. There are also plenty of businesses that have been set up solely to work on LPG conversions. If you live in a ‘built up’ area then you should not be more than 5 miles away from a fully qualified LPG mechanic.

Government Policies

Currently, we are in the penultimate year of a three year guarantee that the government put in place to ensure that autogas remains at least 40p cheaper than petrol. It is believed that this policy could be extended by a further three years to ensure that more people continue to make the conversion.

Average Price of autogas in the UK

On the 19th April 2011 (according to www.petrolprices.com) the average price of petrol was 135.79p, diesel was 141.99p and autogas was 76.46p. As you can see from this autogas is almost 60p cheaper than petrol and over 65p less expensive than diesel.

Instillation of a Conversion Kit

In this section, we will run through a bit about the instillation process of a vehicle LPG conversion kit:

Under the bonnet: The ECU, Vaporiser, Injector block and Map sensor are all the items that need to be used during a conversion.

  • ECU – The electrical ‘brain’ of the system that needs to be able to accommodate an LPG conversion kit.
  • Vaporizer – Changes the LPG to liquid vapour which allows the gas to work.
  • Injector Block – ‘Injects’ the vaporised LPG into the engine.
  • Map Sensor – Measures the pressure and the amount of LPG fuel left in the tank.

Of course you also need another fuel tank installed. In the UK, the fuel tank is installed either in the boot or in the spare wheel well. In fact, as long as it is not causing any problems it can almost be installed anywhere.

On installation you will be asked the following questions;

  • How many miles would you like to be able to fill up for?
  • Where is there space in your car?
  • How much boot space do you need?

Based on your answers to these questions, the mechanic will deem where the most sufficient place to install your engine. The two tanks that are used in this process are the Toroidal (circular tank) and cylinder.

Summary

LPG Conversion Kits in the UK are more expensive than other countries because the technology is going through its initial stages and the potential savings that can be made are huge. When everybody is aware of its benefits, prices will lower, but as demand increases in the UK the price for autogas will rise.

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