Prins Autogas / Lpg - How does it work?

With all the hype about electric and hybrid driving we almost seem to forget LPG also called autogas. We're at Prins Alternative fuel systems in the Netherlands LPG is a very clean fuel. LPG is a popular fuel in entire Europe. In countries like The Netherlands, but also Germany, Italy, Poland and Turkey. In the US and China the interest for LPG is even greater. We're curious if modern engines can run on LPG as well. Will there still be trunk space left, what happens with the performance and the driving range? That's why we are visiting Prins Alternative fuel systems in Eindhoven and explore modern LPG sytems. Prins systems are more high-tech than you might think. Let's see. Bas, for what cars are your LPG systems available? Basically, for every car. However it needs at least a gasoline engine. I won't talk about diesel engines right now. There are solutions for these as well. So basically we have an LPG system for every car. Everything between Kia Picanto and Mercedes S-class? Yes, even for small 1-liter 3-cylinder engines. Ford has an engine like that. We have systems up to Mercedes, Audi and Porsche V8 and V10. Turbo engine, direct injection, doesn't matter? In a certain way it matters, but we have a system for every technology. It'll have at least the same performance as on gasoline. That's funny. At least the same performance. There could be more power? The engines were developed for Euro95 and Euro98. LPG has a higher octane concentrate, about 110. Engines benefit from this better quality fuel. Better performance sounds good. Let's see what it looks like in practice. This was a nice theoretical story, but I want to know what it looks like. In the workshop we can see cars in various stages of conversion. Behind me is this Kia. There's the spare wheel. It'll be replaced with that donut tank in the trunk. Behind me is another Kia, where it has been installed. Look. It's invisible. This car is brand new. There's still plastic in the trunk. Underneath is the tank. You no longer need an ugly LPG cap in your bumper. It's invisible up front as well, except when you remove the cover. Every modern car has a nice plastic engine cover for less noise. Then you'll see part of the Prins LPG system. Nicely integrated with the existing fuel system, high quality components. I can imagine you don't want to drive your car all the way to Eindhoven to have it fitted at Prins Alternative Fuel Systems No, you can find a nearby LPG specialist on the Internet. They can tell you what's possible with your car. Prins develops systems, starting with components. Then there's the system, followed by the integration with a specific car. That's why there's a number of cars here. Tests are done on the dyno bench, and at extreme high and low temperatures. You'll want it to start and run on LPG when it is very very cold and you go skiing. There are two trucks here as well. That's another option. The Prins Diesel blend system combines LPG, LNG or CNG with diesel. It's too advanced to explain it in this video, but it's possible. So even trucks can run on LPG As the English say: the proof of the pudding is in the eating. We'll have to drive, and we do that in this Range Rover Evoque. By Startech, so it's the Brabus. There are more fancy features. It is also equipped with a Prins LPG system. This is the Evoque with a 2-liter turbo engine. 240 hp. How does it handle? The same as on gasoline. It has the same performance, it starts on LPG. Convenient. You won't have to fill up with gasoline every time. LPG is cheaper than gasoline, so it pays back sooner than you think The turning point depends on the car and region but isn't very high. For example driving 15,500 miles a year, investment in the LPG system in NL pays off after about 1 year and 2 months. Go to prins-afs.com or check with your local installer. In Europe, you can get LPG at 50.000 fuel stations. There are lot of LPG stations in Germany, Poland, The Netherlands and Italy. Less in the alpine countries, but you can get LPG easily in all of Europe. It's certainly no problem in the Netherlands. It's financially more attractive and better for the environment. CO2 emissions go down. Especially Particulate matter emissions goes down up to 90%. Particulate matters cause a serious problem in cities, so LPG is better for driving in urban areas. Let's see if they have another fun car to drive around in. This whole row of cars runs on LPG. So the Panamera Turbo as well.