§ Mr. David StewartTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what estimate he has made of the numbers of(a) private and (b) commercial vehicles running on LPG fuel in (a)1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000, (e) 2001, (f) 2002 and (g)2003. [31278]
§ Mr. JamiesonDVLA statistics do not provide a breakdown by fuel type, only vehicles that are dedicated gas or petrol/gas combinations. The following table shows the number of vehicles that are dedicated gas or petrol/gas combination, by tax class as they do not distinguish between private and commercial usage. DVLA statistics also do not distinguish between Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Natural Gas vehicles. However, cars and light commercial vehicles tend to use LPG, while heavier vehicles use natural gas:
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 Private and Light Goods 6,689 10,121 14,421 21,098 23,533 Buses 31 53 97 121 140 Goods vehicles 75 93 141 171 227 Special vehicles 1,327 1,281 1,31 1,394 1,413 Other vehicles 965 986 1,041 1,184 1,381 Total 9,087 12,534 17,010 23,968 26,694 But this understates the number of vehicles because not all conversions to alternative fuelling are notified to DVLA.
There are currently estimated to be around 50,000 LPG vehicles in the UK. Motorists are converting to LPG at an increasing rate, with the number expected to increase by about 25,000 per year over the next two years, prompted by the Government grants available, and the fact that low-cost LPG fuel is now available in all areas of the country.