Man saves trees and money with autogas

© Diesel Car MagazineGraham Free heals trees through his work and saves them through his refueling habits. What a guy!

If the above makes your head want to explode, let us explain – Graham Free is a tree surgeon (yes, it's a profession) from Buckinghamshire, UK. Back in 2008 he was looking for a van to use for his work and once he found the right vehicle, it turned out it had been converted to run on autogas. Although Mr Free never really considered using the alternative fuel, he bought the car and decided to give LPG a try.

Graham Free covers a modest 10 thousand miles (approx. 16 thousand km) annually, so having the car converted on his own he would have to wait for the investment to break even, but buying a car that had already been converted meant getting only the bright sides of it all, primarily saving money from day one. And he does save over a pound per day, annually spending 500 pounds less on fuel. While not a fortune, this is also not the kind of penny you should disregard.

As well as the obvious financial savings, another advantage is the availability of the LPG. When I first started using autogas seven years ago, there were only three local stations to choose from. I now have a choice of five within a 20 mile radius so who knows what this could rise to in the future.

Graham Free, owner, Florascapes

It didn't take long for Graham Free to become a devoted fan of autogas. None of his three current vans runs on petrol, including a Ford Transit Connect purchased six months ago, also ready with an autogas conversion. Mr Free feels using LPG as the fuel of choice for his fleet enhances the "green" image of his company (called Florascapes if you're interested), but also enjoys autogas because he hates the smell of diesel. Our kinda guy! Furthermore, Graham Free believes more could and should be done to promote the alternative fuel, both in terms of encouragement from the authorities and as far as signage is concerned – quite often motorists just don't realise LPG is right there, available from their favourite stations.

Simplifying the process to apply for the reduced vehicle excise duty and helping to demystify the technology could encourage more people to turn to LPG. I would entirely recommend motorists switch to LPG, particularly for those who use vehicles for business purposes. My vehicle runs just as smooth and powerfully as any petrol or diesel equivalent, is a pleasure to drive yet also saves me significant costs in fuel bills. What’s not to like?

Graham Free, owner, Florascapes