Saturday, July 05, 2008 Baguio is 2nd test area for LPG engines By Jane Cadalig
NEXT to Antipolo City, Baguio will become a pilot area for vehicles with built-in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) engines, less the conversion process.
Perfecto Itliong Jr., regional chairman of the Public Transport Affairs Office (PTAO), said the city will be the next testing site for vehicles with LPG-ready engines in the country, to determine if these could withstand the terrain.
At present, the units run by LPGs in Baguio have undergone the process of converting their machines first to become LPG-ready.
The vehicles being tested in Antipolo, Itliong explained, are cars with engines that have already built-in LPG converters and do not need to undergo conversion.
LPG-run units are being advocated now to help drivers and operators save on fuel costs and to reduce air pollution.
He said Baguio is one of the pilot areas for the clean cities program of the United States Agency for International Development (USAid), which seeks to improve the quality of air through the use of alternative fuels, among which is LPG.
LPG-ready engines cost P200,000, much higher than the conversion kits currently available in Baguio, which cost P28,000.
Vehicles run by gasoline can directly avail of the LPG conversion kit. Those run by diesel need to convert to gasoline-run engines first before their units will be ready for the LPG conversion kit.
Earlier, the PTAO asked banks in Baguio if they could provide loans to drivers and operators to convert their vehicles to LPG-ready units.
