Almost 200 petrol car owners have already benefited from a government grant scheme to have their vehicle run on gas, halving fuel costs.
The scheme was extended in January after 61 people opted for the switch in 2013 and converted their vehicles to autogas, a spokeswoman for the Transport Ministry said.
A government grant of €200 is given upon conversion to autogas of an M1 motor vehicle used for private purposes.
The scheme closes at the end of this year or earlier if the maximum of 750 claims is reached. People who converted their vehicle last year can still apply for the grant.
One of the companies offering the conversion is Waldorf Auto Service Centre, in Msida. Head technician Josef Mifsud told Times of Malta the conversion could save vehicle owners up to 48 per cent on fuel costs.
In a Hyundai i20, an LPG tank is placed instead of the spare wheel underneath the car’s booth. A special outlet is fixed on the back bumper, enabling the owner to fill up the tank with LPG.
Autogas costs half as much as unleaded fuel and is significantly less polluting. It also puts less strain on the car engine. LPG fuel cuts emissions of particulate matter, carbon dioxide and mono-nitrogen oxides.
A full tank of 42 litres of autogas costs about €18. If the car is driven over a distance of 200 kilometres a week, owners could save between €500 and €600 of fuel a year.
Converting a car to run on LPG will effectively turn it into a dual-fuel vehicle, allowing the driver to alternate between unleaded petrol and LPG at the flick of a switch on the dashboard.
The car needs to use petrol to start because the engine requires a certain temperature to be able to operate on autogas. Then, after about three minutes, it automatically converts to gas.
Mr Mifsud said there were two safety valves that automatically shut off the gas supply in the eventuality of a technical fault. Maintenance costs were also on the low side as it only required changing two small filters once a year and this was done during the annual car service.
He said the conversion, which took about two days, was carried out by technicians who received special training abroad.
Millions of cars across the European continent already run on LPG, making it the most used vehicle fuel after traditional unleaded petrol and diesel.