The strong increase in liquid fuels, which have seen an increase of 140% since November, has once again motivated motorists. the tendency to think of traveling with gas (CNG) powered vehicles.
So, since the beginning of 2024, there has been a 50% increase in conversions of methane vehicles compared to the previous year and expectations point to tripling the data for 2023.
Even though, last year, the sector recorded a very low number of conversions: around 6,000 per month when the historical average was 15,000.
Now with the decline that is already starting to be recorded at petrol and diesel pumps (20% in January, according to service stations), those who sell gas appliances are enthusiastic about the reactivation they expect in the coming months.
In any case, the workshop owners also warn that the brake could come from the fall in purchasing power The gas car must amortize the investment in installing the equipment, which is expensive.
Installing a 60 liter appliance, for example, it costs between $900,000 and $950,000. That is, after the devaluation, they have seen an increase of more than 100% since December.
«Although the investment is “recouped” in less than a year with savings (depending on use), the lack of financing and limits on credit cards can limit the level of conversions», evaluate the workshop managers.
Here because, Before installing the equipment it is important to know how much it costs, what the savings are and when it will be possible to recover the investment. They advise in the sector.
Currently, the cubic meter of CNG at CABA gas stations is around $200 or $250, while according to Enargas data, the average price across the country, in December 2023, was $202,707.
However, today it can reach $300 in more remote areas where there is no such concentration of gas stations. While A liter of premium gasoline costs $699 and premium gasoline is more than $800..
That is to say that, in this scenario, to fill the tank of a medium-sized car with premium petrol you can spend 35,000 dollars, while to obtain an equivalent autonomy with methane you spend around 12,000 dollars.
According to industry estimates one liter of petrol yields more or less the same as one m3 of gas. And the team’s investment is recovered in a year if you travel about 20,000 kilometres.
The fleet of gas-powered vehicles was in December 1,615,240 units compared to the 1,721,562 that there were in 2019, according to data from Enargas, the regulatory body.
From the CNG Chamber of the Interior of the country they confirm that the trend of increasing consultations and conversions has already begun. “After the first week of December, when there were no clear prices, we started to work very well. Today customer requests have tripled and we are converting double the cars compared to October or November”, they explain.
Meanwhile, the Chamber of Equipment Manufacturers (CAPEC) hopes to bring the initiative to fruition January around 12,000 or 13,000 installations. Expectations are more modest than in other times because they recognize that, in these times of high inflation, people have less saved for investments. “Not everyone has almost a million pesos in their pocket or the amount available on their credit card, which is the cost of the equipment,” they explain.
Source: Clarin
