LPG in 2012 - the WLPGA estimates

© WLPGADavid Tyler, WLPGA director

For the past 10 years, autogas has been the quickest growing branch of the global LPG business. And even if it accounts for only 9 per cent of all liquefied gas sold (with consumption reaching 23 mln tons in 2012), this alternative fuel remains the third most popular motor fuel around the world, right after petrol and diesel. It is used every day to move over 17 million vehicles, including 9 million in Europe alone (out of which number nearly 2,8 million are driven in Poland). These figures are expected to rise further in 2013.

As the WLPGA estimates, the share of autogas in global annual LPG sales is bound to gradually rise. To facilitate this, the sector is going to lobby the EU authorities and local governments and encourage them to maintain stable fiscal politics to allow further growth in the autogas sector. Furthermore, LPG business is going to convince carmakers to introduce new autogas-powered models and support autogas components producers in their efforts to develop advanced and affordable new systems. The WLPGA will also assist refueling infrastructure development, so that the network is widely and evenly spread across a given country.

In the opinion of David Tyler, future of autogas is bright also due to the advent of new technologies and large-scale conversion programs undertaken in certain regions around the globe, particularly in Asia. First of all, blending diesel fuel with LPG for commercial vehicles is becoming popular, offering both financial savings and environmental benefits (especially the elimination of particulate matter). Relieving the environment is also the main idea behind mass conversions of two-wheelers and jeepneys across Asia. These vehicles are used in great numbers and dominate over cars, polluting the air with enormous amounts of volatile emissions. LPG is an accessible, affordable and easy to adopt solution to the issue, as it helps fight smog in Asian cities.

David Tyler is an optimist when it comes to LPG and autogas. With some support and good will from the authorities, the gaseous fuel will maintain its status in mature, saturated markets and will quickly flourish as an alternative to oil-based fuels wherever there is potential for growth. We are bound to learn more when Mr Tyler makes his speech at the LPG – Exceptional Energy conference in Warsaw in early march 2013, hosted by the Polish LPG Association (POGP). Also, as we said before, the annual WLPGA report is in the making. We are sure that both Mr Tyler's speech and the report will reassure us that for autogas the best is yet to come.