Auto gas association urges PM to scuttle LPG vehicle ban

The plan could affect about a million car owners and business operators nationwide, the association said in an open letter. LPG is an alternative fuel widely accepted in the United States, Europe, Australia and Asia. The World LP Gas Association has said LPG-driven vehicles number more than 23.7 million globally.
TAGBA submitted the open letter to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra; Energy Minister Pongsak Ruktapongpisal; and Pol General Wichian Pojphosri, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Transport, deputy permanent secretary of the Ministry of Energy, and director-general of the Department of Energy Business.
Besides opposing a ban on the registration of LPG-fuelled vehicles, TAGBA demanded a clearer policy for operators in the auto-gas industry so they could maintain their businesses. The industry has already felt an impact after the idea of banning LPG-fuelled vehicles was raised as a result of a number of such vehicles catching fire, said Surasak Nittiwat, president of the association.
TAGBA cited studies showing that three factors could cause LPG- or natural-gas-fuelled vehicles to catch fire. These were substandard retrofitting systems and equipment; gas systems being fitted by substandard or illegal operators; and car owners failing to maintain their vehicles properly.
Although the maintenance of a gas-fuelled vehicle is not much different from that of a petrol-fuelled one, regular check-ups are recommended to prevent the vehicle from catching fire. Standardised equipment and registered operators need to be promoted, TAGBA said.
According to the Department of Land Transport, as of February 9, an estimated 1 million LPG-fuelled vehicles had been registered. LPG is a popular alternative for car owners in the middle- and lower-income brackets, to reduce family expenses.
“The idea of banning LPG-fuelled vehicles is a violation of the freedom to choose alternative energy,” Surasak said.
“It also impacts operators who have been in the LPG-retrofitting industry for more than 30 years. The ban would certainly affect not only the operators, but also a large number of labourers in the industry. That will be more than 330 registered operators, more than 50 system and equipment distributors, five gas-packaging plants, and more than 1,000 LPG fuel stations, as well as thousands of labourers nationwide,” he said.
LPG is a popular alternative fuel around the world, particularly in developed countries. Of the more than 23 million automobiles around the world believed to be fuelled by LPG, more than half are private vehicles.
According to World LP Gas Association, the LPG industry has grown continuously in the past 25 years and looks set to continue. LPG consumption, especially in the auto-gas industry, has been on the increase in China, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Japan and India.
LPG has not been only popular among commoners. Queen Elizabeth II’s Rolls-Royce Phantom VI was converted to gas in 1998 because the British monarch believed that LPG was cheaper and cleaner than petrol.
In the United Kingdom, there are more than 1,500 LPG fuel stations to serve more than 165,000 LPG-fuelled vehicles. Owners of LPG-driven cars are also entitled to tax benefits, while the fuel itself is also cheaper than petrol.
Improved LPG-retrofitting technology has now been imported to Thailand, and the standards have been raised. The standards of LPG service centres have also brought up to the levels of regular car-service centres, Surasak said.
The government should encourage consumers to choose only registered operators rather than banning LPG-fuelled vehicles, he said.