Petredec Elpiji Ltd is going to set up six new auto gas filling stations in Bangladesh with a view to providing international standard alternative fuel to octane or petrol to the people of the country.
"We will set up three auto gas filling stations at Asadgate, Badda and Jatrabari in Dhaka and the rest three will be set up in Barisal, Jessore and Dinajpur," Md Jakaria Jalal, manager, Industrial and Autogas sales, Petredec Elpiji Ltd told the FE.
He said: "These six auto gas filling stations will be set up within next four months."
Auto gas is the common name for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) when it is used as a fuel in internal combustion engines in vehicles. It is a mixture of propane and butane.
Md Saidul Islam, general manager, Petredec Elpiji Ltd, an Australia- based company, said: "We have introduced the auto gas which means LPG for vehicles for the first time in Bangladesh in 2005.
"Presently eight stations are operating in the country. Of them two stations are in Dhaka, two in Jessore, two in Khulna, one in Rajshahi and another in Rangpur," he said.
At this moment the total number of auto gas consumersn in the country is more than 1000, officials said.
Mr Islam said the price of per litre auto gas is now Tk 59 while price of per litre octane is Tk 99. Price of per litre auto gas is 65 per cent less than that of the price of a litre of octane.
This fuel will help increase the longevity of car engines as it is clean and a green fuel also, he said.
A client has to pay around Tk 60,000 for CNG conversion of a car and setting up cylinder whereas for setting up auto cylinder a client has to spend Tk 30,000 that is half of the CNG conversion, he added
The weight of the cylinder of an auto gas- run car is 19 to 21 kilograms while the weight of a CNG- run car cylinder is around 40 to 65 kilograms.
Auto gas keeps the condition of an engine better than octane. The percentage of propane and butane in auto gas is 30 and 70 respectively.
On the other hand, after refill auto gas car can run 450 kilometers depending on the types of the cars.
Besides, the car will have dual system; it can be run by auto gas or petrol and octane.
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