How Nairobi motorists are saving on fuel by switching from petrol to LPG

As fuel prices in Kenya have gone up in the last five years, motorists, especially those in the taxi business, have been exploring ways to keep their transport costs down.

One of them is switching to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), mainly used for cooking and whose price is comparatively cheaper.

John Osoro, a Nairobi-based taxi driver, says autogas, as LPG for vehicles is referred to, has made him cut his running costs by Ksh.10,000 monthly.

“Filling my 42-litre LPG tank costs Ksh.4,830; for petrol, the same quantity would be Ksh.7,392. That difference of over Ksh.2,500 saves me a lot since the mileage I get from my car, whether I am using petrol or LPG, is similar,” Osoro, who switched to LPG in October 2021, tells Citizen Digital.

The process involves pre-vaporising LPG before it is injected into the engine’s combustion chamber, explains Mitchell Goes, a vehicle design engineer in Nairobi.

“It improves fuel economy on several fronts: you are reducing the petrol required for the engine, and LPG has a better burning efficiency. So, mixing it with petrol, the LPG used will be less than the amount of petrol,” explains Goes.

“It also helps that LPG is cheaper than petrol.”

Autogas use reduces CO2 exhaust emissions by around 15 per cent compared to petrol, which is why it is widely promoted as a greener alternative.

Its rise and the growth of LPG car conversion come when hybrid cars are increasing in the Kenyan market.

These combine traditional internal combustion engines (ICE) with electric powertrains, also delivering fuel economy and eco-friendliness.

But Goes notes that, given the high cost of acquiring eco-friendlier cars, LPG conversion could come in handy for those who already have ICE vehicles and wish to lower their carbon footprint.

“It could be wasteful if we gave up our current petrol and diesel vehicles. Keeping a car on the road for as long as possible is very important to a driver. Integrating an LPG system, which lowers carbon emissions, instead of entirely giving up your vehicle for an electric car, is a good step towards eco-friendliness,” he says.

Watch the full video for a deep dive into the costs and technology behind switching from petrol or diesel to autogas.