There are those who use it for barbecues in the garden, those who find it in their lighter, and those who have decided to choose it as a power supply for their car: the LPG it is a fuel with a thousand uses and over the years it has become increasingly widespread in various sectors, as well as in the Italian car fleet. According to data collected by Assogasliquidi-Federchimica and Unrae, in 2023 there were 3.032 million LPG vehicles, of which 2,600 were cars. To date, considering the period January-May 2024, 62,942 LPG cars have been registered, representing 8.6% of the total market. These numbers also include redeveloped cars, i.e. traditional combustion vehicles whose engine has been modified to adapt to running on gas. Retrofitting is now increasingly widespread also thanks to the state incentives dedicated to it. For anyone thinking of purchasing a vehicle with this power supply, the choice can be considered varied: to date there are 51 models on the market for a total of 141 setups. The main reason for choosing a gas-powered vehicle is to reduce costs when refueling, given that LPG costs around half as much as traditional fuel. So what’s stopping users from making the leap to this type of fuel? There are many factors: in addition to the still widespread doubts about safety, the limitations regarding the absence of self-service and the lack of vending machines in Italy are the reasons that distance drivers from this choice. But is it really like this, or are they just myths? Here is an in-depth look at the world of LPG, from its composition to its functioning, up to the regulations currently in force on its use and administration.
What is LPG
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The liquefied petroleum gas, known by all as LPG, is a type of gaseous fuel. The gas is extracted during the refining of crude oil, i.e. oil in its natural state, but is also partly composed of natural gases coming from the decomposition of organic material. For reasons of convenience in the transport and storage phase, the gas is transformed into a liquid thanks to a compression process which increases its density by approximately 250 times compared to its gaseous state. LPG is colorless and odorless, however a substance with an odor similar to that of petrol is added so that any leaks can be detected.
How an LPG engine works
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The system of an LPG car is made up of an injection engine similar to the traditional one and two tanks, one for gas and one for petrol. The gas is stored in the tank still in its liquid state: before being introduced into the combustion chambers of the engine it returns to its gaseous state thanks to the help of a reducer. As mentioned before, LPG remains in its liquid state thanks to the compression process: the reducer, as the name suggests, serves to gradually reduce the pressure to ensure that it returns to its gaseous state. The conversion system just explained cannot work below a certain temperature: for this reason the engine must be started with the help of a small quantity of petrol. So once the car is turned on, the engine will automatically be injected with petrol: once the correct temperature has been reached (a matter of a few minutes), a button called the switch is pressed so that the system switches to using LPG.
There is self-service
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One of the most well-known negative aspects in the LPG car sector is the impossibility of being able to refuel independently: the absence of the self-service service therefore forces users to fill up with the assistance of an operator, consequently on working days and hours. You cannot therefore think of going to a petrol station at night or on holidays. This impediment is due to a safety factor: during topping up with LPG, complications may occur due to the very low temperature and high pressure of LPG in its liquid state, not so much for the vehicle or the dispenser but for the user who he’s taking care of it. What is not common is that the self-service constraint does not come from a ban in current regulations: the Presidential Decree of 24 October 2003 nº 340, subsequently amended in 2014, provides for the possibility of self-service refueling with LPG. According to a note from Assogasliquidi-Federchimica, association representing liquefied gas distributors, “although possible from a regulatory point of view, there is currently no practical application of the rule due to some technical issues being resolved in coordination with the National Fire Brigade “. The fact that it is not possible to use the self-service service is therefore not due to a regulatory prohibition, which instead allows it, but rather to the lack of adequate equipment and pumps to the safety criteria imposed by the fire prevention department. “The association hopes that the relevant rules will soon be issued to allow consumers to fully use the self-service mode”, states the company.
Underground parking
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To date, the 2002 Ministerial Decree authorizes the parking of LPG vehicles at a maximum height of 6 meters below the ground: as regards garages and underground car parks, we are talking about the first underground floor (-1 in common jargon). This impediment is also due to security issues. LPG, unlike methane, It has a greater density than air: this means that in the event of a leak, the gas would spread to the ground level and into all the surrounding cracks. Once it has stagnated on the ground, instead of dispersing into the environment, the LPG accumulates, creating areas with a high level of flammability: a small trigger, such as a cigarette butt, would be enough to cause a fire and a consequent explosion. However, this risk should not cause fear: modern LPG systems are equipped with safety valves that hermetically close the gas tank liquefied once the vehicle is turned off, to prevent any leaks. If the car is serviced properly and the tank is replaced properly every 10 years, the danger is reduced to the minimum possible. Despite the developments in safety, the rule is still restrictive, probably because in the event of a fire the firefighters would be easier to access the -1 of a car park and intervene promptly rather than in the more underground floors.
Distributors in Italy
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The LPG distributors in our country are 4,611 and they have a geographical distribution that can be considered balanced. The region with the largest number of distributors is Emilia Romagna, which has 505; followed by Lombardy with 503 and Lazio with 450. The islands are also well supplied, with Sicily having 238 distributors, while Sardinia has 88. At the bottom of the ranking are Liguria with 39 distributors, Molise with 36 and finally Valle d’Aosta which has only five.
