smart lpg features on CNN World Business Today!
Lindsey Janis, CNN London
"Swiss designer Rinspeed’s eXasis is one of several green cars being unveiled at the Geneva motor show.
The makers call it carbon neutral because it’s powered by bioethanol made from fermenting sugars found in plants like corn or grass. But this particular vehicle is only a concept so we found a company that’s putting greener cars on the road, now.
The smart lpg is a conversion of the Mercedes benz smart car converted to run on liquified petroleum gas. It’s the brainchild of Canadian entrepreneur Rory MacParland.
“So these two tanks are the petrol tank, which is required because the engine starts on petrol, and once it’s warmed up LPG starts to go into the engine. And this is the lpg tank which stores the LPG. Then we install all the bits and pieces that allow the lpg to flow to the engine, which include injectors, which vaporize the LPG as it goes into the engine. Then we add a computer which controls all of the mechanics of the LPG system and a switch. And off we go!”
London’s $16 congestion charge is designed to keep vehicles out of the centre of town, and keep emissions down. Since LPG is cleaner than petroleum or diesel the smart lpg is completely exempt from the charge. The cars cost between $20 and $25K and are as much as 57% cheaper to run than similar gasoline powered models. It’s a benefit not lost on the company’s clients.
Nick Vestey, Knight Frank, “We have 12 lpg smart cars, and in terms of what that saves us, we think in the region of £24,000, which is about $50,000.”
MacParland and his business partners meet in this fashionable West London flat, discussing how they’ll get more of their peers to swap SUV’s for smart cars. They expect to sell around 300 of the vehicles this year, but these cars won’t work for everyone.
“For me, family & dog and so on, it doesn’t have the carrying space, but as far as the savings in your pocket – great!”
“I like a big car to drive and that is way too small. You couldn’t fit your friends in there.”
Skeptics aside, there are already 300,000 cars in the UK running on LPG a sign that green motoring is most definitely catching on."
CNN World Business Today, 6th March, 2007
