UKLPG, the trade association of the UK liquefied petroleum gas industry, is calling on the Chancellor to use this week’s Budget to maintain the duty differential for LPG at current levels until 2024.
This will not only support long-term investment in the availability of LPG at more than 1,400 sites nationwide, but also give drivers the confidence to convert to LPG and benefit from greener, more cost-effective motoring, according to UKLPG.
Lisa Thomson, director of communications and external affairs at UKLPG, said: “Despite both the environmental and financial benefits that Automotive LPG offers, the UK Government has consistently overlooked the positive impact this fuel can make when it comes to cutting urban pollution.
“As the most widely available low carbon, alternative fuel available to motorists today, maintaining the fuel duty for LPG in the longer term represents an enormous opportunity to support greener motoring in both the short and long-term.
"The infrastructure and fuel are there and more than 160,000 motorists have already converted their vehicles, helping to cut pollution in our inner cities and the UK to deliver its carbon reduction targets more quickly.
“Millions of motorists in Europe use LPG fuel in their cars and the benefits have, for too long, been ignored by successive budgets in the UK, despite the evidence stacking up that it has the potential to really make a positive impact on reducing harmful emissions.
"By maintaining the fuel duty for the long-term, the Chancellor can deliver these benefits to the UK today, without expensive investment in infrastructure.
"We don’t want this year’s budget to be another lost opportunity to exploit the full potential of this low cost, low carbon, widely available fuel.”
UKLPG has recently joined the FairFuelUK campaign to get a better deal for motorists, as well as pledging its support for the Healthy Air Campaign.
The campaign aims to raise public awareness of the health impacts of air pollution, encourage behaviour that helps cut air pollution and persuade all levels of Government to take stronger action so that the UK complies fully with air quality law.
Based on independent testing of nearly 9,000 cars from the EU that were manufactured recently and that have state-of-the-art pollution controls, those that run on LPG produce 11% less CO2 in operation and about 15% less from ‘well to wheel’, i.e. over the entire fuel supply chain than identical cars run on petrol.
The research also indicates that LPG cars produce less NOx than both petrol and diesel ones.
In fact, when compared to diesel, five times less NOx is emitted.
LPG vehicles are significantly lower on particle emissions as well.
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