Dec 5, 2007
LPG-powered cabs could hit roads here
One cab brought in by LPG supplier Union Energy is awaiting approval
By Christopher Tan, Senior Correspondent PLANS to put cooking gas on the road are in the pipeline, with the arrival of the first LPG-powered taxi.
The cab, a two-litre Toyota Crown ordered by taxi operator Trans-Cab - a unit of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) bottler Union Energy - is awaiting green light from the authorities before it can be put on the road.
The Straits Times understands a multi-ministerial team will soon visit Hong Kong - one place in the region where LPG cabs ply - to study safety implications of using the gas for transport.
The gas is deemed more volatile than compressed natural gas - the other alternative fuel used by some taxis here.
A Land Transport Authority spokesman said the authority and the Singapore Civil Defence Force 'are currently evaluating the feasibility of allowing the use of LPG taxis in Singapore'.
The solitary LPG taxi will be part of the evaluation. It will be refuelled at Union Energy's gas bottling plant in Jalan Buroh, Jurong.
If it passes muster, the newcomer to the taxi trade plans to ply a fleet of 100 LPG cabs.
Union Energy managing director, Mr Teo Kiang Ang, said that the LPG taxi can take 70 litres worth of gas and can cover about 600km. Mr Teo said one litre of LPG costs '75 to 80 cents' which works out to be nine cents per kilometre, compared with 11 cents for diesel and seven cents for CNG.
Another attraction is that the cabs could be eligible for Singapore's green rebate which CNG vehicle buyers currently enjoy. This roughly equates to 40 per cent of the car's open market value and can be a difference of a few thousand dollars per vehicle.
CNG vehicles are also not liable for 'diesel tax', which can save $5,100 per cab per year.
For Mr Teo, the biggest draw is perhaps that an LPG fleet will have significant synergy with his core business.
Union Energy is a huge LPG supplier which delivers more than 1,500 gas cylinders a day, and owns one-third of the bottled LPG market here.
LPG is produced in the petroleum refining process, and has been used to power vehicles as early as the 1940s.
[email protected]Copyright, 2007, Singapore Press Holdings Limited