Motoring journalist Quentin Wilson has launched a campaign to champion liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as the cleaner and cheaper alternative fuel of choice.

Britain already has a network of 1400 LPG filling pumps but only 150,000 cars on the road currently accept the fuel. Mr Wilson said that Government should encourage the take up of LPG if it is serious about pursuing alternatives to petrol and diesel. He added that retailers selling the fuel should do more to make drivers aware of its availability, such as with better signage at filling stations.

“LPG has been around for a long time and its benefits stack up to shoulder high,” he told an audience at the London Transport Museum. “A typical family can save £750 a year on fuel bills by switching to LPG and the fuel produces far less emissions than petrol or diesel. LPG is very close to the future fuels of 20 or 30 years’ time and is a stepping stone to hydrogen, which is still a few years down the road. If you understand LPG you will understand hydrogen.”

Mr Wilson was speaking at the launch of an LPG blueprint for the future, backed by the fuel supplier Autogas. LPG is around 40% cheaper and is said to produce 98% fewer harmful particulates compared to petrol or diesel. It is also claimed to generate 80% less NOx emissions compared to diesel and 10% fewer CO2 emissions than petrol.

Mr Wilson added that he was surprised that debate over future fuels centres around the electric car. With LPG powered vehicles, he added, “there is no range anxiety, no problems with the availability of charging points and no significantly higher costs in buying an LPG car”.

But he stressed that electric vehicles also have an important role to play in motoring of the future. “Let’s not throw baby out with the bathwater, let’s carry on with electric cars and hybrids and range extended vehicles. The more people driving around in zero emission or low emission cars the better.

“We do not have to back one pony, we can back a mixed basket of fuels and see which shows the biggest benefit.”

(Photo: David Villa)