Our website has already raised the topic of converting gasoline (and sometimes diesel) cars to run on liquefied or compressed gas (What happens if... you install LPG on a diesel, What happens... if you set up LPG incorrectly, or details about gas for cars). Without a doubt, operating such a car is economically more profitable. And the more powerful and larger the engine, the faster the LPG pays off and the more significant the savings. In previous materials, we provided calculations of fuel cost reductions and came to the conclusion that under any conditions, the cost per kilometer of travel is reduced by an average of two times. Now imagine that costs can be reduced not by two, but by 6-10 times. Think it's unrealistic? In fact, it is possible. We'll tell you how further.
When calculating the cost per kilometer on gasoline and methane (by energy intensity, 1 cubic meter of methane = 1 liter of gasoline), we took the cost at specialized filling stations as a basis. On average in Ukraine, it ranges from 5.80 UAH to 6.60 UAH per cubic meter. The average as of 04.11.2013 was 6.54 UAH. That's right, this is almost two times cheaper than the cost of a liter of gasoline, respectively, with equal consumption of a liter of gasoline and a cubic meter of gas, we get double savings. Well, how can you further reduce costs? – you ask. Elementary, refuel with methane that comes to our homes to gas stoves and heating boilers. Its cost for the population is much lower. To be more precise, from 0.73 UAH to 2.68 UAH. But the upper limit is reached only if consumption exceeds 12,000 cubic meters per year. Even if a house of 200 sq.m is heated and a couple of cars are refueled, you are unlikely to achieve such gas consumption. Moreover, our heating season is only 4-5 months. Nevertheless, in the future we will carry out calculations taking into account the maximum cost.
The cost is pleasant, it pleases, but how to refuel a car with household gas? This is not propane-butane, which liquefies at relatively low pressure. Methane is stored in cylinders at pressures up to 200 atm. Theoretically, it is enough to purchase a special compressor that can take methane from the gas pipeline, bring its pressure to 200 atm, and supply it to the cylinders.
In theory, everything is beautiful, but what about in practice? It turns out that sometimes even in our country theoretical projects can be brought to life. Wanting to get information from first hand, we turned to the company "Energospetsservis", which is a distributor of such equipment.
In reality, everything turned out to be banally simple. Anyone can buy a special high-pressure pump that connects to a low-pressure household gas pipeline and refuels a car equipped with LPG (methane gas). At the same time, no special permits or safety requirements are required from the owner. I emphasize – special! All norms and requirements and safety rules according to "NPAOP 0.00-1.20-98 Rules of safety of gas supply systems of Ukraine" remain in force. Don't be scared, these are the same requirements as for a gas stove or heating boiler. In addition, the installation is connected to the electrical network and must be grounded.
And then - it's just a fairy tale. You connect a special high-pressure hose to the car's charging fitting, and... you'll have to wait a little longer than at a branded filling station. How long? It all depends on the performance of the pump you choose. For example, the weakest one with a capacity of 3 cubic meters per hour can take 5-6 hours to fill one cylinder, while an average capacity of 10 cubic meters per hour will take only an hour and a half. Say it's long? Just calculate how much time your car sits idle near the house. During this time, it can easily refuel. You sleep, the car refuels. When the limit pressure is reached, the system will automatically turn off. In the morning, a car with cylinders filled to the brim awaits you. Everything is wonderful, especially since the money not spent on fuel continues to lie in your pocket, not in the gas station's cash register.
Everything is good and wonderful, but we will still add a fly in the ointment to this wonderful barrel of honey. With all the visible advantages of using a home filling station, there are no fewer disadvantages.
Firstly – the cost of installing LPG.
Secondly – the cost of the gas compressor.
Thirdly – the weight and dimensions of high-pressure cylinders.
Fourthly – the insufficiently developed network of methane filling stations (you have to drive not only near home).
But there is a category of citizens for whom these disadvantages are not critical. They use the vehicle not only to move their mortal body from home to work and back, they earn money on it. For those whose cars have a huge annual mileage, switching to methane and installing a gas filling station is a quite relevant solution.
As always, let's evaluate the feasibility of such a solution using an example. Let's take a private entrepreneur with a small fleet of cars, say 5 Gazelles with an average daily mileage of 250 km.
The cost of a filling station with a capacity of 10 cubic meters per hour is 7600 euros or 83600 UAH. We divide this amount by the number of cars and get the cost per car of 16720 UAH. Add here the cost of LPG about 8000 UAH.
16720 UAH + 8000 UAH = 24,720 UAH.
Initial costs have already amounted to 24,720 UAH per car.
The average fuel consumption on a Gazelle car is about 18 l/100 km. Gas, respectively, the same amount in cubic meters. The cost of a cubic meter of methane is 2.68 UAH (maximum cost for the population). Total 100 km of travel costs 48.24 UAH in fuel. On gasoline, for the same mileage, you need to pay 187.20 UAH. Savings on every 100 km of travel are 138.96 UAH.
Accordingly, for the payback of LPG and the filling station, the car must travel 17,790 km.
That is, in 71 working days the equipment will pay off, and in the future the entrepreneur receives constant savings of 130-140 UAH on every hundred kilometers.
With frighteningly large initial costs, in the future the system allows achieving significant savings. Up to 112-113 thousand UAH with a mileage of 100,000 km.
When the fleet consists of several cars and they have a large daily mileage, installing a filling station undoubtedly makes sense. Is such a purchase profitable if you are going to refuel your own car, having such a device at home? For example, let's take a car with an impressive engine and, accordingly, fuel consumption – TOYOTA Tundra. 25-30 l/100 km makes you think about costs and, most importantly, how to reduce them.
Since you will have to refuel only one car, you can choose a less productive installation. Let's take one with a capacity of 5 cubic meters per hour for 5955 euros or at the rate of 65505 UAH. Add the cost of LPG 12000 UAH and get costs of 77505 UAH. The amount is impressive.
Let's take the average consumption as 27 l/100 km. Accordingly, for every hundred kilometers you will need to spend 72.36 UAH for methane, or 280.80 UAH for gasoline. The difference is 208.44 UAH.
So, the LPG and high-pressure compressor will pay off in 27,602 kilometers of mileage. And then... you will continue to drive a large powerful car, incurring costs like a tiny subcompact. The benefit is obvious. It remains only to overcome stereotypes about gas and convince yourself – you save not because you are greedy, but based on common sense.
We've figured out the payback, but with the sizes of cylinders for storing methane, everything is not so simple. They are not suitable for use in small passenger cars. The large weight and size simply do not allow them to be painlessly integrated into the car's design. Most likely, LPG on methane is an excellent alternative for huge pickups and American SUVs. There, in the body, a couple of large eighty-liter cylinders will not take up much space.
The problem with filling stations remains pressing, especially in the case of a long trip. Things are not as good with them as we would like. There are filling stations, but there are few of them, and the distance between them is significant. You must have a detailed map of their location, otherwise there can be no talk of savings. You'll have to refuel with gasoline again.
Well, finally, let's please environmentalists and Greenpeace society. An engine running on methane has much lower exhaust toxicity. The amount of toxic carbon monoxide CO (carbon monoxide) decreases by more than three times, by 1.6 times – the content of carcinogenic hydrocarbons CH, consisting of particles of unburned fuel. The concentration of nitrogen oxide NO and dioxide NO2 when the engine runs on gas decreases by 1.2 times.
What conclusions can be drawn from this? Converting modern cars to methane, although costly, is a simple operation. At the same time, due to the lower cost of gas, costs quickly pay off. If we take into account the possibility of installing a filling station at home, this is the most economically profitable option existing on the market.
