More Singapore car owners switch to CNG

More drivers making the switch to GAS
High petrol prices, green rebate help steer over 400 to compressed natural gas-powered vehicles
Christopher Tan, Straits Times 27 Dec 07;

STEP on the gas. More motorists are choosing to do exactly that these days.

More than 220 have had their cars converted to run on both compressed natural gas (CNG) and petrol. About 200 more have bought manufacturer-assembled petrol-CNG passenger cars, also called 'bi-fuel' cars.

Out to save the earth and save some money too, they say high petrol prices plus a generous green tax rebate helped them make the switch.

The trend started late last year, when passenger cars were allowed to be fitted to run on CNG as well as petrol.

Most conversions were done initially by German company

C Melchers GmBH and local firm Scantruck Engineering, both of which started conversions in earnest late last year at their respective workshops in Sungei Kadut and Tuas.

Two other firms have started offering the service - parallel importer Mova Automotive and Thai company SO NGV.

Most of the directly imported bi-fuel cars are Mercedes-Benzes.

Converting a car costs from around $3,000 and involves installing a gas tank, pipings to the engine, and a refuelling intake.

But customers usually recoup their outlay within two years as CNG retails at around 78 cents an equivalent litre. Petrol goes for about $1.90 a litre.

Product manager Lim Sim Leng, 45, owner of a converted Mercedes-Benz Vito van, readily attests to this.

'A tank of CNG costs me $11, and will give me 190 to 200km. Using petrol for the same distance, I would have to spend at least double that,' he said.

A petrol-electric hybrid car like the Toyota Prius would chalk up about 8.4 cents per km, compared with 7 cents for a car running on CNG and 18 cents for a conventional petrol car.

Information technology manager Adrian Koh, 34, noticed a slight power loss in his Chevrolet Optra after it was converted. 'But I don't mind since I don't drive like a race car driver,' he said.

Project manager Ang Kwang Wee, 46, was impressed by his savings. 'I never knew the mileage was so good. I travelled 2,350km last month and my total fuel spending was $227.

'If I had used only petrol, I would have spent over $440.'

He is happy his Toyota Picnic is able to accommodate the gas tank beneath the floor of the boot - which means the car still has decent boot space left.

A big incentive for conversion is the green tax break. New cars which can run on CNG are accorded a rebate equivalent to 40 percentage points of their additional registration fee.

In the case of a car like the Porsche Cayman - which businessman W.K. Chin, 38, is converting - it could work out to a saving of around $30,000 on the purchase price.

It was curiosity which led him to choose gas. 'I wanted to try something new,' he said. He found out about CNG conversions just as he was about to buy his Porsche.

This particular conversion - undertaken by Scantruck - is taking a little longer than usual because the authorities wanted to make sure the gas tank had a capacity of at least 50 litres - to ensure that owners are serious about their 'green' intentions.

To comply, Mr Chin's Porsche had to be installed with two carbon-fibre gas tanks, as a single large steel tank cannot be fitted without a huge weight penalty.

Mr Gilbert von der Aue, sales manager at Melchers, said he expects demand for conversion to go up when gas-refuelling facilities at Singapore Petroleum Company's Jalan Buroh station opens in the new year and Smart Energy's station in Mandai opens in February.

Currently, there is only one CNG kiosk: on Jurong Island.

'With current petrol prices, we expect demand for conversion to be high,' he said.