LPG is a gas used for many different purposes, one of them being a fuel for vehicles. It has many different names, the most used ones are LPG, Autogas, GPL, GLP.
What is LPG?LPG or Liquefied petroleum gas is not only used for cooking or powering certain household appliances, it can also be used for powering cars as well as stationary application like a generator. In fact, a lot of motorists in Europe and other parts of the world are driving their vehicles with autogas. Its use as a source of fuel for vehicles dated back in the 1940s and since then it is gradually growing in population.
It is said to be the third most commonly used fuel for powering vehicles across the globe. Out of 600 million passenger cars, about 16 millions are powered with autogas. This figure represents 3% of the entire number of vehicles driven with LPG.
LPG is natural gas that contains propane and butane and it is produced during the oil refining process or is extracted during the natural gas production process.
It is more economical than petrol, diesel and other source of power. The cost of filling a tank of LPG is half the cost of filling a tank of petrol or diesel.
Besides the economic benefit of autogas, the gas is also eco-friendly. It is being utilized as green fuel because it reduces exhaust emissions. One of the problems facing the world today is the problem of global warming which is caused by greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere in large quantity. The exhaust emission from vehicles driven with petrol and diesel are one of the major sources of the greenhouse gas. Driving with autogas helps to solve the problem to a greater extent because it brings down CO2 emission for 35%. If a litre of petrol is burnt, 2. 3kg of CO2 is produced and emitted into the atmosphere. But when the same quantity of autogas is burnt, only 1.5kg of CO2 is burnt.
+ LPG is non-toxic, non-corrosive and free of any additives, has a high octane rating, and burns more cleanly than petrol.
- LPG has a lower energy density than petrol, so the equivalent fuel consumption is higher.
Liquefied petroleum gas is known with different names in different countries. It is referred to as autogas when it is utilized in powering vehicles. In some countries, it is simply referred to as gas. Normally, in these countries, petrol is not called gasoline. So, people from the countries where petrol is also referred to as gasoline may be confused when LPG is referred to as gas. In the UK for example, you can either refer to it as autogas or LPG but in Australia it is either called gas or LPG.
LPG is very common in most countries of Europe. Virtually each country has a peculiar name for it. In France and Italy, it is called GPL meaning gaz de petrole liquefie and gas di petrolio liquefatto respectively. But in Spain, it is referred to as gas licuado del petroleo abbreviated as GLP.
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