The Hindu : Autogas stations in State soon

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Aug 08, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala

Autogas stations in State soon

By Our Special Correspondent

KOZHIKODE AUG. 7. The State will soon have a string of autogas LPG dispensing stations to provide the eco-friendly fuel to vehicles.

K. A. Joseph, NRI businessman and the chairman of the Thiruvananthapuram-based IC Fuels Limited, told Presspersons today that his company was the first and the only one in the private sector which had been shown the green signal by the Chief Controller of Explosives to establish autogas LPG dispensing stations.

Action to finalise five more stations in the State are underway. The dispensing stations would be operated by franchisees in all the districts.

The first autogas LPG dispensing station in the State would be at Cheruvannur in Kozhikode. Larson and Toubro Ltd., which has executed similar projects for the Government-owned oil companies in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Pune, would be setting up the autogas station at Cheruvannur.

The IC Fuel Ltd. is poised to set up a chain of automotive LPG dispensing stations (ALDS) in the State to supply automotive LPG as fuel to motor vehicles.

From the dispensing stations, LPG can be filled into specially designed fixed fuel tanks in an automobile as stipulated by the Indian standards.

To supplement this activity, the company is also making arrangements to supply world-renowned automotive conversion kits and fixed fuel tanks with multi-function valves suitable for automobiles.

"This is considered by experts to be absolutely safe and even safer than petrol-driven vehicles," Mr. Joseph said.

"Autogas'', as LPG used in automobiles is called in other countries, is a combination of propane and butane in liquefied form, maintained at low pressure under ambient conditions.

In a number of countries in Western Europe, Japan, Australia and the U.S., autogas is extensively used as automotive fuel. In view of its advantage, several countries have extended incentives to promote the use of autogas for automotive purposes.

Regarding the cost-effectiveness of the fuel, Mr. Hareendran, the project consultant, said at the Press conference that cost of operating the vehicle for one k.m. using the autogas was Rs 1.20, while for petrol-driver vehicles it would be nearly Rs. three.

Autogas contains no lead and was thus a clean fuel. Exhaust gas from autogas-driven vehicles are also low in toxic emissions.

The Parliament had made amendments to the Motor vehicles Act in July 2000, allowing the use of LPG for automobiles.

Mr. Joseph said thousands of motorcar-users who were presently using LPG and inefficient kits and cooking gas cylinders without adequate safety system were expected to switch over to autogas.

The IC Fuels Limited would be supplying conversion kits along with PG ccontainers that conform to stipulated standards.

The autogas-driven vehicles will have the option to switch over to petrol, if necessary.

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