Thai Energy Ministry To Crackdown On Illegally Modified LPG Vehicles

[webfact]

Energy Ministry to Crackdown on Illegally Modified Gas-Powered Vehicles

The Energy Ministry has consulted with gas service station operators and automakers regarding the plan to standardize B5 diesel fuel, starting from January 2011.

Meanwhile, gas station operators have been ordered not to serve customers who have illegally modified gas powered vehicles, following the recent rise in the number of serious accidents caused by sub standard equipment.

The Director General of the Department of Energy Business, Peerapol Sakarin, has announced that all gas stations have been ordered not to serve customers with modified natural and liquefied petroleum gas powered vehicles that have not been approved by the Department of Land Transport.

The department has also threatened that stations found to have sold natural gas to illegally modified vehicles will be shut down immediately.

Those caught selling liquefied petroleum gas or LPG against the order will be slapped with a 5,000 baht fine.

The department has placed a number of officials on the field to conduct random inspections.

Meanwhile, the director general of the Department of Energy Business added that he will meet with the representatives of gas service station operators and automakers to discuss preparation for the standardization of B5 diesel fuel, set to begin on January 2011.

The department has also reported that domestic fuel consumption fell in October, both in business transportation and personal usage, due to the flood situation.

Consumption of benzine fell by 1 percent from the previous month to an average of 20.1 million liters per day.

Meanwhile, the consumption of diesel fuel dropped by 0.4 percent, to 46.6 million liters per day.

Domestic LPG sales also fell by 1 percent, to 15,800 tons per day.

However, the sale of natural gas went up 2 percent in October, to about 5,400 tons per day, due to the state's campaign to encourage the transportation sector to switch to the alternative fuel.

Also in October, the country imported 148,000 tons of LPG, significantly higher than the previously projected figure of 100,000 tons, because PTT's sixth gas facility is not to come online until December.

Once opened, the new facility will reduce the country's dependency on foreign LPG by up to 50,000 tons per month.

Also in October, Thailand exported 1.2 billion liters or 253,000 barrels of oil per day, a decrease of 6 percent from the previous month.

The export is valued at 19 billion baht, a 12 percent drop in revenue in part due to the appreciating baht.

-- Tan Network 2010-11-18

[asiawatcher]

Can anyone explain what constitutes an "illegally modified gas powered vehicle"? I would also question how anyone can 'identify' that from a filling point and without intimate engineering knowledge.

Edited November 18, 2010 by asiawatcher

[craigt3365]

Can anyone explain what constitutes an "illegally modified gas powered vehicle"? I would also question how anyone can 'identify' that from a filling point and without intimate engineering knowledge.

For sure...I went to lunch with my Thai neighbor yesterday. He has a BMW he fitted out with gas recently. Seemed to look pretty professional...but who knows? He says it will cut his fuel costs well over 50%.

[gregb]

Can anyone explain what constitutes an "illegally modified gas powered vehicle"? I would also question how anyone can 'identify' that from a filling point and without intimate engineering knowledge.

Illegal means not certified by the Dept. of Land Transport at one of the various certifications centers throughout the country. It's an annoying bureaucratic waste of half a day, but otherwise not really a big issue to do it legally as long as it has been installed by an authorized shop.

It is trivial for the attendants to check, as to be legal you need to get an annual checkup and sticker that is placed near the point where you fill the tank. It would be almost impossible NOT to see this when you go to fill the vehicle.

Some stations actually check this and refuse to service vehicles which are out of date or don't have the appropriate paperwork. In my experience 99% of them however don't care. The only one that I have ever found that regularly refuses services to out of date vehicles is the PTT in Saraphi outside of Chiang Mai.

Thus, I only ever get my NGV system checked when I know I will be driving to Chiang Mai. Otherwise, I simply ignore the requirement and save the 400 baht fee.

[bangon04]

If the government is actively promoting the adoption of NGV usage in Thailand, then logically they should also be making it attractive for legal installers of NGV equipment to enter the industry, and making it easier to find a filling station which offers NGV to private vehicles every day of the week , without having to join an endless queue of HGVs at the single pump on the forecourt.. N'est-ce pas?