Another bad news thread for LPG

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Feb 25, 2020
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MFG is planning to end the sale of auto-LPG on its forecourts​

by Clare | Apr 6, 2022 | Motoring | 0 comments
The Motor Fuel Group (MFG), the largest independent forecourt operator in the UK, has said that supplying auto-LPG is no longer commercially viable. The company plans to remove auto-LPG from all its forecourts by 2024.
MFG had to announce its plans through the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) because of the preliminary investigation by the CMA into the purchase of Morrisons Supermarkets and forecourts by MFG’s US private equity owners.
The CMA reported that “MFG submits that auto-LPG is no longer an important product category for modern petrol station forecourt businesses due to a continued industry-wide decrease in demand. This decrease in demand means that revenues are low and will continue to decline, thereby making any continued investments, including periodic testing of the facilities, commercially unviable. Accordingly, MFG plans to remove auto-LPG from all of its sites between 2022 and 2024.”
MFG intends to replace its auto-LPG facilities with Electric Vehicle rapid charging hubs and other services, such as grocery offerings or car wash facilities. MFG currently has over 200 150kW chargers on its sites and has plans to electrify its network of over 900 forecourts.
The decision by MFG follows Shell’s decision two years ago to end its joint venture with Calor and decommission its LPG refuelling network. At the time, a spokesperson for the joint venture said, “Customer demand for LPG for domestic transportation has declined due to changing customer preferences and the increasing availability of other lower-carbon fuels.”
Over 1,000 sites in the UK still stock auto-LPG, but it only makes up around 0.2% of UK road fuel demand. Estimates of the number of LPG fuelled vehicles on UK roads are around 100,000. The UK government will phase out the sale of new vehicles powered by autogas. No manufacturers sell pure auto-LPG vehicles in the UK, which means the only way to use it is to convert an engine or install an LPG engine to work in a bi-fuel system.
 
It is becoming an issue. For all the inconvenience I recently made a decision to stick with bottles. I may add a small underslung tank later this year but keep the facility to add a bottle to the system. We only need to lose a few more forecourts and I think refillable tanks will lose the convenience they are famous for.
 
Seems a good time to ask the question what do funsters think is the best alternative that does not involve a pump a vehicle can access or Calor bottles?

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Hedge your bets - I have one Gas-it refillable bottle and one Calor exchange bottle. The latter is there purely as a back up but touch wood hasn’t been needed yet. However the way things are looking I can see it getting some use! ☹️
 
I am keeping my options open at the moment.
I have 2 11kg gasit bottlrs fitted to external filler. Both full at the moment.
But have been considering changing one of them for a calor when 1 goes empty.

The price difference is significant though.
But, we are likely to use more cls without ehu as prices of those with ehu jump up. So the gas for the fridge freezer will be a bit more important to us.
 
grumps147 said:
Seems a good time to ask the question what do funsters think is the best alternative that does not involve a pump a vehicle can access or Calor bottles?
Click to expand...
For off grid use, at the moment, only real alternative would be diesel based heater and cooker units. Don't think though you can get a 3 way diesel based fridge so you are going to need much larger battery capacity for that. Never be able to have enough battery for heating, although perhaps the bigger vehicles could just get enough of an array for cooking.

Perhaps, despite rising pricing for pitches, we will have increased reliance on EHU?

What is clear is the number of Autogas suppliers will be reducing, and it will become a scarce resource. As kit ages and fails it won't be economic to replace. If vehicle LPG use is already less than 0.2% of the market there is no profit to be made. The motorhome market is too tiny for a filling station to be bothered with lpg where they already face lower traditional forecourt petrol / diesel sales as alternative electric energy vehicles will become more prevalent.

With small volume of sales, even where campsites and others have bulk LPG tanks for their offgrid washblocks, it will be too costly for testing and maintenance of kit, let alone initial installation, and also staffing, for those to step up to the plate for an autogas capacity.

For a vehicle like mine, reducing availability of LPG Autogas is an issue. I only have the underslung cylinder, 25litre nominal capacity. At this time of year, with some heating use a few days stay on a rally field, and I'd get through most of that. No space whatsoever to store a bottle let alone plumb one in. I was going to investigate a larger underslung (but not sure there is the space), to allow for reduced frequency of fill availability with shortages in supply (at the moment on Richard's Post above, most of those cluster's will be U/S). Instead I think I'll start budgeting that the cooker, heater and stuff will have to be swapped for an alternative fuel.
 
My PVC came with an underslung LPG tank as part of the standard conversion.
It has been perfectly fine for the last five years - obviously if LPG become unobtanium, I'll have to have a rethink... but at the moment, there is no gas locker.
 
Kannon Fodda said:
For off grid use, at the moment, only real alternative would be diesel based heater and cooker units. Don't think though you can get a 3 way diesel based fridge so you are going to need much larger battery capacity for that. Never be able to have enough battery for heating, although perhaps the bigger vehicles could just get enough of an array for cooking.
Click to expand...
WildAx, [my van they supplied with an underslung tank] now offer a "Volt Pack" as an option
No Gas
More solar, lithium, compressor fridge, induction hob, and diesel heating.
Not cheap but perhaps an indication of the way things are heading.
 
Oh thats a bummer! I've just looked on the LPG app and the majority within 2 hrs drive from me are Temporarily out of order. The few that does have it are 0.99p:crying1: I'm hoping its just a blip with shortages.
 
As new petrol and diesel cars will be banned from 2030, there will be no new conversions of said vehicles. So I can see that from 2030 if not before more and more LPG fill points will disappear. Bottles will become the only option at some point in the not so distant future :(

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not an issue with us we fill-up at Calais ready for our next 3 month's abroad & if we do use it in the uk we can top up at Brownhills
as for calor super expensive
 
irnbru said:
Oh thats a bummer! I've just looked on the LPG app and the majority within 2 hrs drive from me are Temporarily out of order. The few that does have it are 0.99p:crying1: I'm hoping its just a blip with shortages.
Click to expand...
Still cheaper than FloGas who just charged me £31.19 for an 11KG propane bottle swap.
 
Our Morrisons were 72.9 when I refilled last week . So glad I did now. Probably a silly thought but I wonder how much it would cost for us to have our own network of refillable gas by getting a tank fitted in the garden maybe.
 
irnbru said:
Oh thats a bummer! I've just looked on the LPG app and the majority within 2 hrs drive from me are Temporarily out of order. The few that does have it are 0.99p:crying1: I'm hoping its just a blip with shortages.
Click to expand...
it was dearer than that coming back from Spain in France

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The 0.2% of road demand obviously excludes motorhome underslung tanks, but I expect includes Taxis there are many industrial sites around with a LPG tank for their LPG forklifts these sites i doubt are shown on the apps but worth banging on a door or two asking and with cash in hand.
 
We have a 2019 Burstner on the Fiat 4000 kg heavy chassis. Just had a second underslung tank fitted now gives us 55 litres
both fitted by RV installations at Mullacott North devon.
 
I use the Safefill refillable bottles.
Luckily have an independent stockists only 1 mile away so I take empties down in the car. MMS gas power just off JN12 of the M6.
85p today and he has plenty of stock.
In nearby Walsall I am aware of 2 taxi companies that now have their own tanks and offer filling for suitable bottles, so if your in a built up area keep a watch on taxi bases.
 

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