[Lang]

Looks like we have gas conversions sorted out in Australia better than most places. The majority of service stations have gas.

Gas does NOT need petrol or anything else to make it start. A proper conversion will provide a vehicle that starts exactly the same on straight gas as it does on petrol. The engine conversion only takes a couple of hours but it usually takes a bit of time to fit tanks and plumb in the lines and filler connection.

Conversions in cars often go straight to pure gas operation. Because there is no room to leave the petrol tank in with the gas tank. Most conversions on 4WD leave a petrol tank in as well (dual fuel systems) and you can just switch from one to the other. The main reason for this is for country area use where gas equipped service stations are not available or you want to fill out of cans etc.

Having owned an F150 with a 351 V8, 6 cylinder Landcruisers and Nissan Patrols and my wife having a 6 cylinder Holden Commodore all on dual fuel I can say gas is a perfectly acceptable fuel. There is absolutely no discernable difference in engine performance and the 10-15% reduction in mileage is more than offset by the 50% reduction in cost. You can just flick the switch from gas to petrol while driving along and normally won't even get a small cough.

Ford and GM have been building taxis for many years as gas runners from the factory. 99% of Australian taxis run on gas. Mike mentions the smell - if you can smell your own car there is something wrong and if you are not used to it by now after sitting in traffic surrounded by gas burning taxis for the last 15 years you probably never will be. It is probably more pleasant than sitting beside a diesel bus in traffic.

All the above problems in Europe and Canada were experienced in Australia 10-15 years ago but technology and knowledge have left all those problems in the distant past.

The Australian Federal Government will give you a straight grant to convert to gas. Some fitters do it for free with cars (and just collect the $2,000 from the government) while something like a Landcruiser will cost the owner an extra $1,000/$1,500 which he will pay off in 6 months with fuel cost savings.


There is some confusion between LPG and LNG/CNG (liquid Natural Gas/Compressed Natural Gas). LPG is what is used in cars and is a byproduct of petrol production - or if huge quantities are needed actually consumes oil to produce. Apart from some reduced greenhouse emissions it is not a particularly ecologically wonderful product. It liquifies at low pressure and authorities are happy for the public to be handling it to fire their cars or barbecues.

LNG, on the other hand, is found in gas form under the ground and many people believe the vast resources present in many countries (including Australia) are being "hidden" or sold cheaply to local or Japanese factories while we continue to pay the oil companies for LPG. They are NOT interchangeable. LNG turns to liquid at MUCH higher pressures than LPG.

LNG requires high pressure tanks. The thinwalled, light tanks in cars holding LPG would have to be replaced with massive oxy/acetyline type bottles. Can you imagine the government allowing people to drive up and wave around hoses transmitting an extremely highly compressed explosive gas? 30psi is one thing, hundreds of PSI is another.

A number of Australian public transport operators are experimenting with LNG but this is at proper bus refuelling stations with expensive storage and dispensing equipment and trained operators. Even so, a couple of months ago, the entire back was blown off a bus during refueling at Brisbane City bus workshops.

A number of people have converted their military vehicles to LPG and I think it is a good idea if you are doing a lot of miles. A further historical element is town gas or coal gas which was used during WW2 on vehicles (I think there is a thread on gas producers). This is hopelessly inefficient and not suitable for use in car engines except in desperate wartime situatons. I am afraid we can't run a hose from our kitchen oven into our car tank.

Lang