Great news for Holden's dual LPG VE

[monaroCountry1]

This IMO would be an advantage to Ford and Holden, since both have LPG options on their cars. Both Ford and Holden are also proven products with regards to LPG usage.

Yay about damn time. Great way to reduce our dependence on the volatile foreign oils.


Govt mulls subsidies for LPG conversions

AAP, 09/08/06

-The government is considering subsidies for drivers to convert their cars to run on LPG, Prime Minister John Howard says.

-"The point about LP gas is that we have very large supplies of it and there is not a problem with its availability," he told reporters.

-"We are looking at a number of things. One of the things we are looking at...is whether we should assist with the conversion costs of existing motor vehicles so that they might be useable for LP gas."

-The Australian newspaper reported the government was considering a $1,000 subsidy towards conversion costs to encourage greater use of LP gas.

-It said drivers could save as much as $1,500 a year using LP gas.

-LP gas is due to have an excise imposed on it from 2011 but Mr Howard said that excise rate would still be dramatically lower than the excise on petrol.

-He said Labor had not opposed the LP excise.

[White Rider]

Sort of, the LPG price still goes thru international priceing. (I think..)

That LPG gets up to 60c a litre nowadays is bastardry, there are no supply/demand issues here- The companies will raise LPG price with petrol to keep profits up yet only just keep it low enuff to warrent a conversion.

Mid 2004 I got LPG for 32c, now its almost double- thats a worse hike than petrol:(

[GPT]

Another issue is the cost of LPG on Commodores now ,approx $4000.

[monaroCountry1]

I still think its great news. We must lower our reliance on volatile O/S oils. Even if the price of LPG rises to match that of petrol I would still prefer LPG. I dont know about you but im sick and tired of backrolling the lavish lifestyle of greedy sheiks. I see LPG and Ethanol as competition, competition = lower pricing.

[Dacious]

Retail LPG price is fixed to the price at the pump in Saudi Arabia, by the Guvmint as part of export-parity. As Australia is a net producer, and a lot of this is sold cheaply to Japan and China in bulk carriers it makes far more sense than subsidising the production of ethanol, which is economically and ecologically unsustainable. LPG is a lower-polluting fuel for particulates and oxides of nitrogen, too. It's here, the delivery infrastructure is widespread virtually everywhere in Oz.

A $1000 subsidy for a few hundred thousand vehicles as a once-off is a hell of a lot cheaper and more sustainable than embedding a tax concession into the pricing structure involving something as emotive as fuel prices. Especially when the 'Bush Socialists' in the National Party would be involved in brokering the ethanol deal, which means the farmers would get screwed over and some fatcats get a few extra $mill.