WHY DON'T WE HAVE AUTO GAS AT GAS STATIONS HERE LIKE THEY DO IN AUSTRALIA???

[Don Bradner]

Hank, you have blinders on based on your Australian experience. Even where LPG
is abundant, as it is in Australia, it is not inherently much cheaper than other
petrol forms. It is only priced the way you see it because of government
subsidy. Until 2011, Australian Autogas remains Excise tax-free, and the tax
will only be A12.5 cents phased in over 5 years from 2011. Petrol has an excise
tax over A38 cents. Subsidies/rebates from the government on the purchase of
Autogas vehicles is another part of the equation.

Look at the Flying J pages to get a sense of the price comparison of Gas vs
Propane in the US: http://www.flyingj.com/fuel/gasoline_CF.cfm?state=US

Autogas is not pure propane, but rather a propane/butane mixture, but the
pricing is comparable. If any significant percentage of America's cars were
converted to autogas, the resultant demand on LPG against supplies would rapidly
cause a price displacement that would offset any advantage. Of course that
assumes they don't just shift the burden to the taxpayer.

When you look at articles on Autogas around the world, suggestions that
countries proceed as Australia has always talk about smaller countries,
primarily European, and you never see ANY that suggest it would be a wise or
economical move for the US.

Incidentally, as far as I can tell it appears that, with the .62/1.73 numbers,
you have chosen to list the cheapest Autogas price you can find against the
highest petrol price. Perhaps those were at the same location, perhaps not, but
the difference appears greater than most general Australian price numbers. See,
for example, http://www.fuelwatch.wa.gov.au/index.cfm...date=Today

On 6/22/2008 at 4:34 PM Henry Jay Hannigan wrote:

>GOOD MORNING ALL!!! WOW!! It is fun starting a new
>subject..sure gets the "experts" out! Gee BRUCE, I have been
>running my Toyota Corrolla on Australian "autogas for eight(8) years
>and my Mitsubishi Campervan on Australian "autogas" for two (2) years
>and now I find out that it is NOT "suitable."
>
>Let's see..I pay 62 cents a litre for "autogas" and $1.73 per litre
>for petrol(American gasoline) and miles per gallon differences
>between "autogas" and petrol and power difference are nearly
>negligible to me and over a million Australians utilizing "autogas."
>
>As gasoline goes higher, perhaps WE Americans should start
>considering asking the BIG guys about we little guys saving MONEY by
>switching to "autogas." Concerning "INSTALLATION" cost...I have not
>heard the BANKS complain about putting ATM's everywhere.The American
>way is just to pass the costs to us divided by 200 million.
>
>I subscribe to the TEN ways WE CAN do something instead of TEN
>reasons why WE can't do something.
> NO offense intended. LOL. You all keep them cards and letters
>commin!
>Hank
>90SP36
>
>
>
>
>
>--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "birdshill123"
> wrote:
>>
>> Propane is not a suitable fuel for automobiles. At least not in
>Canada
>> or the USA. Years ago Cnada got into this propne conversion thing
>in a
>> big way. Cash incentives to switch over as well as tax breaks. WE
>> converted 3 one ton delivery trucks and my MH. Never again. The MH
>> fried the heads in my 440. The delivery trucks got horrible fuel
>> mileage. In 6 years the tanks were so rusty they had to be
>replaced. In
>> the winter they were hard to start. Not many shops were versed in
>the
>> technology. Try buying propane after dark in N.D. To make it even
>worse
>> propane is just as expensive as road fuel. Every taxi in Western
>Canada
>> ran on propane. I dont think any use this fuel today.
>>
>> Bruce
>> 1988FC35
>>
>
>
>
>------------------------------------
>
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>