HC Deb 20 March 2002 vol 382 cc344-5W
John Barrett

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) what the average cost is in the UK of a liquid petroleum gas conversion kit for vehicles; [43092]

(2) how many vehicles registered in the UK run on liquid petroleum gas; [43091]

(3) what training is (a) available and (b) required for people wishing to convert their cars to run on liquid petroleum gas using LPG conversion kits. [43093]

Mr. Jamieson

All vehicles converted to run on LPG must comply with the requirements of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986. Conversions which result in significantly reduced emissions are eligible for Government grants under the Powershift programme, which is administered by the Energy Saving Trust. To be eligible for a grant, conversions must be done by Powershift approved converters, whose competence is tested by the trust. The DTI has recently announced a new £1 million programme, called "LPG Boost", to further enhance the uptake of LPG, including grants to help additional conversion specialists undertake the technical training and meet the competencies for becoming Powershift approved converters, and so increase the network of approved converters.

The additional cost of converting a vehicle to run on LPG is typically between £1,500 and £2,000.

DVLA statistics record 26,694 vehicles as running on gaseous fuels. DVLA statistics do not distinguish between liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and natural gas vehicles, but most of the vehicles are LPG-fuelled cars—natural gas is used mainly in heavy goods vehicles, and the numbers are smaller. The DVLA figure is also an underestimate, since not all motorists notify DVLA of their vehicle"s conversion. There are currently estimated to be around 65,000 LPG vehicles in the UK. Motorists are converting to LPG at an increasing rate, with the number expected to increase by about 35,000 for 2002 and 50,000 in 2003, prompted by the Government grants available, and the fact that low-cost LPG fuel is now available in all areas of the country.