Summer motoring in the South West boosted by Autogas

Motorists heading to the south west this summer could save up to a third on their fuel costs by converting to Autogas, which is now available at the Gordano services on the M5 motorway.

With many people still clutching tightly onto their purse strings, holidays are likely to take a hit again this year. But whilst the two week sojourn to the Maldives may be off the cards, or even a week in the Spanish Costas put off for at least another year, the UK holiday, or ‘staycation’ looks set to repeat its 2009 success.

The South West of England could benefit greatly from this trend again this summer with thousands heading to the region. Holidaymakers braving the M5 can find further ways to cut the cost of travelling thanks to the refurbishment of the Gordano services, located at the gateway to the South West, junction 19 of the M5.

As part of the refurbishment of the busy motorway services, Autogas has been installed at the Gordano forecourt. As a viable, alternative to petrol and diesel, Autogas offers motorists savings of more than a third on fuel costs* and can dramatically reduce the impact driving has on the environment.

Paul Oxford from Autogas explains the benefits for road users and the environment: “In the UK the popularity of LPG is increasing as motorists look to help the environment and cut fuel costs. Vehicles running on LPG produce far less carbon dioxide, but they also emit far fewer of the other harmful emissions such as oxides of nitrogen and microscopic particles, known as PM10s, which are found in diesel and petrol and have a damaging effect on the environment.

“In fact vehicles running on LPG produce 17 per cent less carbon dioxide than petrol. In terms of oxides of nitrogen, which is equally as harmful to the environment, Autogas delivers 120 per cent less than petrol and a staggering 2,000 per cent less than diesel.

“PM10, or small particle, emissions, which have been singled out in road pollution studies as being particularly harmful to children and people suffering from Asthma, are significantly reduced in vehicles running on Autogas; figures show 120 per cent less PM10 emissions than diesel vehicles.

“With 60,000 cars using the M5 every day, even a small increase in the number of vehicles using Autogas instead of petrol or diesel could have a huge impact.”

Paul adds: “LPG at Gordano services is currently retailing at 59.9 pence per litre compared to petrol at 126.9 pence per litre and 112.9 pence per litre for diesel**. As the differential between Autogas and other road fuels is greater now than it has ever been, the cost of conversion can be recouped even quicker.”

Converting a vehicle to run on LPG can be done quickly and easily by an approved converter and costs around £1,800. Although surprisingly few manufacturers are currently producing LPG powered vehicles, most petrol powered cars, and even light commercial vehicles, can be easily converted to run on LPG.

There are now more than 1,400 public access Autogas refuelling sites with the majority of these on petrol forecourts. Autogas is the UK’s leading supplier with more than 200 refuelling sites and ambitious plans to expand the network further over the next year.

To help drivers find their nearest LPG service station Autogas offers a free to download ‘point of interest’ file for leading satellite navigation systems. Users can log onto www.autogasfinder.co.uk or www.lpg-vehicles.co.uk/satnav to upload the Autogas locator file so that no matter where you they are in the UK they can find their nearest Autogas site.

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*41 per cent fuel costs calculated based on fuel costs taken from www.whatprice.co.uk 07/07/10 for Gordano services, consumption figures taken from www.renault.co.uk for a 2.0 140 petrol Laguna Sport Tourer and assuming a 20% reduction in fuel consumption for LPG
**www.whatprice.couk (07/07/010)