The conversion is increasingly gaining traction among taxi drivers, but the trend is now catching up with motorists of high-powered vehicles, commonly referred to as fuel guzzlers. Dismas Mogere, a technician at Lake Energies’ conversion centre on Nairobi’s Lang’ata Road, says the trend is largely driven by businessmen who do long road trips.
‘You see right now where we are economical, more people are concerned about keeping money in their pockets, which is forcing them to look at cutting expenses,’ he tells BDLife. ‘There are also those who used to make so much, but now they have some financial hiccups. So, instead of parking the car at home, you opt for conversion,’ he adds.
Oscar Salim is one such user who converted his Land Cruiser in 2023. Converting a Land Cruiser with installation of an 80-litre gas tank costs between Sh200,000 and Sh250,000.
While the one-off installation cost is heavy, Salim says the amount is recovered from savings made from fuel consumption.
LPG costs Sh100 a litre, while petrol currently retails at Sh214. At a time when fuel prices have escalated due to logistical challenges caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz by the US-Iran war, the gas prices rose by Sh10 mid last month before retreating to Sh100.
A litre of gas will cover the same distance as a litre of petrol, indicating the cost of a journey is slashed by half when one uses gas instead of petrol.
Salim says he had not encountered any mechanical or performance challenges for the three years he had been using autogas. He has enrolled in motor challenges, showcasing that the mechanical abilities of the car are intact even after the system change.
‘You only lose about five percent power. The good thing with the kits is that it is a computer and it is integrated into the computer system of the car; so it automatically senses if you need more power and switches from gas to petrol,’ says Mr Salim.
He notes that he has helped some of his friends with large cars import and install the conversion kit. The change of petrol cars to autogas use has been a common practice in Europe, with the kits imported from Italy and Poland.
Italy leads Europe in factory-installed LPG vehicle registrations, while Poland relies more heavily on aftermarket conversions of existing petrol cars.
Mr Mogere, who takes pride in being among the first technicians to convert a Toyota TX while training in 2019, says there are increased inquiries from owners of luxury cars.
‘I have gotten so many requests from people with Mercedes-Benz models, especially the E200, and Volvos. We recently did our first Mercedes-Benz; it was very complicated. Following that success, I have placed orders for kits to use on Mercedes-Benz cars and also one to test on a Volvo,’ said Mr Mogere
The cost of converting the Mercedes-Benz was Sh210,000. Converting a car with an engine capacity below 1000 CC is priced at Sh67,000. This is the category for most cars that are used in the taxi business, such as Toyota Passo, Daihatsu Mira and Suzuki Alto.
The price varies depending on the size of gas tank a motorist chooses to install, with this ranging from 20 litres to 92 litres. Those with a higher capacity are charged Sh120,000, while those above 2000 CC are charged between Sh150,000 and Sh200,000.
Large capacity tanks are preferred for their ability to cover long distances, dispelling concerns that one may not be able to get a refuelling station in case they run out while on the road.
Autogas stations have increased to cater for the growing number of users, with Mr Mogere stating that he knows of 39 autogas stations in Nairobi operated by different companies. There are refuelling stations set up in other towns such as Nyeri and Nakuru.
The first company to bring the technology to the country was Proton Gas, commonly referred to as Pro Gas, before the entry of other players in the business.
Pro Gas, being the pioneer, had to create expertise, which saw it set up a training centre in Kabatini near Kenol in Murang’a and recruit 132 automotive-trained mechanics for further training. Mr Mogere disclosed they had converted 92,000 vehicles by the time he left the company. It was easy to monitor the number of vehicles converted when there was only one player in the market, but the rise of conversion centres across the country makes it difficult to track the number of cars converted.
But how safe is autogas conversion? The idea of having highly flammable liquefied petroleum gas powering a car can raise safety concerns.
Mr Mogere is quick to dispel the safety concerns, disclosing there has not been any incident reported since the conversion process was introduced in Kenya in 2019.
Safety measures include the type of tank used and multiple control valves with different purposes to ensure there are no leaks.
The gas is held in a steel tank, which is more puncture-resistant than conventional gas and fuel tanks. Mr Mogere throws it down from the first floor, and it doesn’t get a dent. He discloses the tanks are usually put through several stress-tests to demonstrate they can absorb high impact.
The tank has a float valve, which ensures it fills to 80 percent, leaving room for gaseous expansion as environmental temperatures rise.
The system is also fitted with shut-off valves that automatically cut off the gas in case there is leakage.
If the vehicle is to catch fire, the gas tank is designed to control its pressure via a pressure relief valve, saving the tank from exploding.
Two electronically controlled shut-off solenoids – on an autogas LPG tank and on a reducer under the bonnet – stop the flow of the gas to the engine in case it stops for any reason.
There is also a double back-check valve to ensure there are no leaks during the refilling process.
Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) gave its nod to the conversion process and use of autogas in vehicles, giving insurance firms confidence to underwrite the vehicles.
Kebs and the National Environmental Management Authority (Nema) have stringent requirements for autogas fuel stations and conversion centres.
The measures include firefighting equipment, gas leak detectors and proper physical outlay to ensure operations are safely laid out. The requirements lock out unqualified entrants in to the industry, ensuring those who are operating have the necessary know-how and observe safety measures.