The Ministry of Industry has released its latest quarterly report comparing the costs of driving 100 km using alternative and conventional fuels[1]. Just like last year, LPG is the cheapest fuel to cover 100 km – costing a mere PLN 22.12 ($5.80). A compact car with a diesel engine would consume fuel worth PLN 30.41 ($8) on this distance (SUV and crossover – PLN 37.53 or $9.85). On the other hand, the cost of driving a car with a petrol engine is PLN 36.37 ($9.53) (SUV – PLN 47 or $12.31). The cost of covering 100 km in a car running on natural gas CNG was calculated at PLN 41.78 ($10.94). In comparison, travelling with an electric car costs over PLN 42 ($11). The most expensive fuel is hydrogen – driving an electric car with fuel cells costs around PLN 69 ($18.10), for example with a Toyota Mirai[2].
According to statistics from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association ACEA, autogas remains the most widely used alternative fuel in the Union – there are still over twice as many LPG powered personal cars on European roads as there are electric ones[3].
“In 2023, the competitiveness of using LPG as a vehicle fuel increased in comparison to engine petrol. The average annual retail price of gas was 46.1% of the price of EU95 petrol, while a year earlier it was 48.9%. In the first half of 2024, this ratio even dropped to 42% – the lowest level since 2016,” explains Bartosz Kwiatkowski, General Director of the Polish Liquefied Gas Organization (POGP) – “After the holidays, the price difference between a litre of petrol and LPG was on average PLN 3.40 ($0.89). Assuming an average annual car mileage of 18,000 km and about 15% higher gas consumption, drivers can save around PLN 3,500 ($917) every year. Those are amounts worth paying attention to.”
In Poland, more than 3 million cars are powered by autogas and nearly 100,000 installations are added each year. There are provinces in which 1 in 5 drivers use autogas – including Łódź, Mazovia, and Lublin. Poles also have plenty of places to refuel – 7,400 fuel stations offering LPG is the highest number in the European Union. Around 58% of Poles believe that autogas is easily accessible at petrol stations throughout Poland[4].
A new phenomenon is the growing popularity, especially among taxi drivers, of cars using hybrid (HEV) drive with an additional gas system. This trifuel system allows for even more operational savings, especially with large annual travels.
According to data from the largest dealer of autogas-powered cars in Poland, 90% of users of such vehicles are determined to or at least considering buying another car running on LPG.
Meanwhile, LPG is gaining ground in more markets across Europe. In 2022, more than 46,000 new autogas-powered cars were sold in France. In 2023, this number increased by another 40%.
[1] From 2022, based on the Act on electromobility and alternative fuels, the public administration compares the costs of driving 100 km using alternative and conventional fuels: LPG, CNG, electricity, and hydrogen, as well as petrol and diesel fuel.
[2] Ministry of Industry https://www.gov.pl/web/przemysl/porownanie-cen-paliw-alternatywnych
[3] Excluding hybrids. Source: Vehicles on European Roads, ACEA 2024
[4] Between 29.04.2024 – 12.05.2024, the Market and Opinion Research Agency SW Research conducted the latest 6th edition of the “EKObarometer – On the way to a green society” study. The Polish Liquefied Gas Organization was a partner of this year’s project, which this time included a study of Polish attitudes towards LPG. The study was conducted on a representative sample of 1500 respondents. https://ekobarometr.pl/ekobarometr-6?forcePageWithoutCdn=true
Source: https://managerplus.pl/lpg-najtanszym-paliwem-wedlug-raportu-ministerstwa-przemyslu-koszt-przejechania-100-km-to-zaledwie-2212-zl-wodor-najdrozsza-opcja-24410
