It is still worthwhile to convert a car to LPG, but only for some – News

“A year ago, our Renault Espace family car was converted to LPG. Although the performance went down a little and consumption went up a little, as a result the costs went down a lot and overall I can’t recommend this decision,” said driver Michal Zemánek to Novinkám.

Changing to LPG, for example, in the case of a car with a four-cylinder engine, costs around 25,000 crowns. In addition, the entire installation takes only one day. The conversion price may be higher depending on the type of vehicle and the specific LPG system. However, the highest prices go up to 50,000 crowns. Most convertibles also have the ability to switch between petrol and LPG while driving.

“The price could increase depending on additional changes, which are, for example, a better control system or special injection,” said the chairman of the Association of Used Car Dealers – Autobazars of the Czech Republic, Petr Přikryl.

The return on the first investment is relatively quick.

“Car mileage of ten thousand kilometers per year is ideal. The investment in the rebuild will then be returned within two years of work at the latest. According to the current price of gasoline in the Czech Republic, the saving per kilometer is now 1.30 CZK. The investment in the conversion will be returned after driving about eighteen thousand kilometers. After that, you can drive​​​​for less than half», said Marek Fišer, owner of LPG Obchod.

Some experts, however, recommend rebuilding after 20,000 kilometers a year.

“Today, we see changes especially for high volume gasoline engines. Most of them are cars imported from abroad, with a consumption of more than ten liters per hundred kilometers,” Jiří Grund, chairman of the Used Car Trade Association, told Novinkám. In the case of smaller engines, the payback may take longer.

In addition, not all cars are suitable for conversion. “The conversion is suitable for gasoline engines. Diesel engines use a different combustion principle, which is not compatible with LPG,” said Přikryl.

“For older petrol engines, switching to LPG can extend their life as it burns cleaner and reduces engine wear. However, for vehicles with direct injection, the conversion can be more complicated and expensive. These engines have special injectors that can overheat when driving on LPG, because the liquefied gas does not cool them like gasoline,” Přikryl said.

The administration required after rebuilding the car is not at all demanding, most of it will be done by the service department for the user.

However, the disadvantage of this economic measure may be that it reduces the space in the trunk, where the tank is usually located, or because LPG vehicles are prohibited from entering some of garages. All such systems must also be reviewed once a year. In addition, the tank only lasts about ten years.