Let's change the topic and speak more globally now. The price of crude oil has dropped considerably lately. Do you think this could affect worldwide autogas market?
Oh yes, definitely. Whenever oil gets cheaper, there is direct reflection of this in our sector – people lose some of their interest in autogas. Anyway, historically the price of oil has always been unstable and subject to cyclic variations. So, even if we are currently exposed to the negative effects of traditional fuels getting cheaper, we are confident that within some time this trend could completely change, bringing back soon the positive market conditions for autogas.
Now let's focus on BRC specifically. What directions is the company going in terms of technology? Do you bet on vapour port injection for direct petrol injection or direct liquid LPG injection? Or maybe both, as some manufacturers do? And what about diesel blending?
We have put a lot of effort into both strategies of converting direct-injected petrol engines to run on LPG – we offer SDI systems for vapour port injection into direct-injected petrol engines (for both LPG and CNG) and LDI systems for liquid direct injection (of LPG). The latter, although newer, already proves its value – it has been chosen by Kia as an OEM solution for the Sportage crossover equipped with the 1,6 GDI engine. Systems such as the LDI are, in our opinion, better suited for the OEM market than for the aftermarket, but nonetheless we are expanding the range to cover the aftermarket with it, too. As far as diesel is concerned, for a number of reasons we don't have great expectations for diesel-gas market. I mean both technical limitations (especially in terms of blending diesel with LPG) and legal regulations regarding the technology. We believe economic viability of this solution is just insufficient (meaning blending with LPG) and we don't invest in it. Results are better when it comes to blending diesel with CNG, but still emission control and engine control issues make it not worth it in the long run. It's a dead end in my opinion.
You mentioned the OEM market. Do you think there will be more factory-converted LPG cars in the future?
I see that approaches vary depending on carmakers. Some, like the Volkswagen Group, focus strongly on CNG and put LPG aside (at least as far as factory conversions are concerned), others – like Fiat – keep offering autogas-powered models, but only featuring engines with port fuel injection. Based on information from our OEM partners I can say that the general future trend will be to move towards converting direct-injected engines to run on gaseous fuels – either CNG or LPG. For LPG systems like the LDI are more suitable and for CNG – those like the SDI. However, there is no one general trend among carmakers – each of them makes their own decisions and chooses solutions best suited to their needs.
And who are BRC's OEM partners around the world today?
There are many around the world. For instance, in Europe we convert Nissans, Kias, Hyundais, Mitsubishis, SsangYongs, Suzukis and Subarus in specialised conversion centres, on some markets also Peugeots and Citroëns. As for other continents, we cooperate with big players such as GM, Ford or Maruti Suzuki. We have partners in China, too, e. g. Shanghai Volkswagen, and in South America, particularly Venezuela, e. g. Ford. In the US, we are the exclusive GM supplier in terms of CNG conversion kits and technology.
Last but not least, can you reveal some new products about to hit the market in the near future?
Apart from the SDI and LDI systems I've already talked about, I would like to mention a brand new family of systems called BRC Alba. They are high-quality, reliable products coming at competitive prices, oriented towards cost-conscious customers and designed to convert simple, no-frills vehicles with MPI engines. We created the Alba to face aggressive competition in certain markets and to secure a piece of the low-cost system market. Typical BRC technology and quality are there inside the Alba, but the price is more attractive and we believe this combination should convince customers to choose our product. It will be available within weeks and we expect good market response.
Good luck with the new product, then! And thank you very much for your time.
Thank you, it's been a pleasure!
Zobacz stronę producenta:
BRCloading results...
Aby utworzyć konto Warsztatu, należy zgłosić dane firmy: 609-966-101 lub biuro@gazeo.pl