Motorists whose cars run on gas will pay the transport tax in full - the government does not seem to be going to zero this fee.

“The implementation of the bill will entail a reduction in the revenue side of the budgets of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, as well as road funds,” the government concludes, RIA Novosti reports. Attempts to switch transport to gas fuel have been made for about 30 years with varying degrees of success, executive director of the Russian Fuel Union Grigory Sergienko reminds RG.

The topic was first raised back in the mid-2000s, and full support was given to top level she received in 2013. Then, by order of the Government of the Russian Federation dated May 13, 2013, it was ordered to develop a set of measures aimed at expanding the use of gas fuel.

“I think that the decision regarding this tax for cars using gas engine fuel should be made at the regional level. Although it is unlikely that anyone will refuse additional income to the budget,” the expert emphasizes.

And he adds that in Russia, about 100 thousand cars out of tens of millions drive on this fuel, and the abolition of the tax is unlikely to make a difference.

At the same time, the expert continues, it is worth proposing certain measures to popularize gas as a fuel for cars.

"You can think about benefits that make driving on gas profitable. For example, they could be various preferences for buyers of a car using such fuel or for those who install equipment on the original gasoline car. Some environmental payments for gasoline engines, let’s say, introduce it, but not introduce it for gas gas, this method works successfully in Europe,” the expert sums up.

In the meantime, there are several problems that hinder the widespread distribution of gas cars. Firstly, the number of gas stations where you can pump propane or methane into your car is very small. Taking into account the fact that there are no official statistics on this matter, various sources put the figure at 250-270 gas stations throughout the country.

To be fair, it is worth saying that we are referring specifically to gas stations, that is, gas stations where gas is pumped into cylinders; there are no gasoline “guns” on them. At the same time, at many small gas stations, there has long been a tank somewhere on the side where you can pump it into the cylinder of your car. natural gas. It is clear that there are still not enough refueling places and the tanks are not weatherproof.

The second question is the price. Cost of the set gas equipment, which is installed on a car, today fluctuates within fairly wide limits. If a domestic kit costs several tens of thousands of rubles, then a foreign one costs about 50 thousand or more. Therefore, of course, such equipment will most quickly pay for itself on route vehicles, and not on personal vehicles.

In January, car manufacturers will raise prices by 3-5 percent.

And this will be just the beginning, predicts automotive expert Igor Morzharetto. The ruble fell by half against the dollar, he explained, and car prices grew by only a quarter. “Therefore, I am sure that the cost of new cars will only increase in 2016,” says the expert. Nevertheless, our market will be updated. New models will come to Russia, but somewhat later than to Europe.”

Even those who a few years ago did not think about such a thing in principle are beginning to think about installing gas equipment. And if we take into account that pricing in our country depends solely on the greed of oil producing companies, but not on objective macroeconomic factors, the number of people willing to switch to a cheaper motor fuel will increase exponentially. But it's not that simple.

As soon as you start looking for the optimal way to implement your plan, a huge flow of information pours out at you. And not always true. Various forums also do not give a clear answer. Some consider gas to be almost a universal evil that kills the engine, and in the event of an accident, also the owner of the car. Others, on the contrary, consider it as an excellent tool that allows you to seriously reduce the cost of maintaining a car. We will not delve into this jungle; we will present only a few indisputable facts.

Pros. Gas is approximately doubled cheaper than gasoline. It is cleaner because it is more expensive to butcher it than to sell it as is. The car's power reserve increases on average by one and a half times, and the owner has an alternative - gas or gasoline.

Minuses. Gas consumption is higher than gasoline consumption. Moreover, when installing HBO, the consumption of the latter also increases slightly. The engine loses approximately 10-15% of its rated power, which is also associated with installation features.

Down with stereotypes

In this case, the gas really “kills” the engine. But there is no escape from this. However, we are not talking about the engine as a whole, but about the valves and the cylinder head. The block itself lives much longer on gas, since gas increases the service life of the oil. The valves burn and the head collapses. However, by the time the situation becomes critical (mileage 200,000-300,000), you will either sell the car or save an amount on fuel that will be more than enough not only for repairs, but also for replacement.

Now about the weight and reliability of the equipment. If we are not talking about a car that was originally prepared by the manufacturer for the installation of LPG, be prepared for the cylinders to eat up space in the trunk. The following can be said about mass. The times when a methane cylinder weighed up to a hundred kilograms have sunk into oblivion. Today on sale you can find containers with a specific gravity of 0.3 kilograms per liter, that is, an empty 25-liter cylinder weighs about 10 kg.

As for reliability, in this case it all depends on the manufacturer, regularity of maintenance, as well as the degree of hand bending and the qualifications of the installers. Otherwise, 4th generation LPG with electronic “brains” has long been available to customers. That is, you don’t even need a switch - the automation will start the car on gasoline, switch to gas itself, and if it runs out, back to gasoline. In general, there is simply no objective reason to consider HBO unsafe.

13,000 rubles in savings

Now let’s consider whether it’s worth converting the car to gas in principle. The main argument that adherents of “gas driving” give is the cheapness of the fuel itself. They are not lying here. In Moscow, for example, the weighted average price of a liter of 92 is 31.3 rubles, and a liter of propane is about 16 rubles, methane is 15 rubles. Therefore, if you take away the price tag included in the work, the cost of hundreds of kilometers traveled during passport expense 7 liters, will decrease more than significantly - from 220 to 130 rubles. This means that by running about 20,000 kilometers a year, you will save about 13,000 rubles.

The benefit is not for everyone

However, these amounts by themselves mean nothing. The cost of a propane system (including installation) for Granta in Moscow is estimated at approximately 30,000 rubles. And it's not the ceiling, but it's not the bottom either. price segment- “business class” equipment from one of the industry leaders.

Methane, all other things being equal, is 7,000-10,000 more expensive. In addition, in the latter case, you will probably want to install a lightweight metal-plastic (or even composite) cylinder, the price tag of which is calculated based on the volume - from 290 rubles / liter (metal - 220 rubles / liter). Thus, the entire project will cost at least 45,000. And now calculate how many years it will take you to pay for the installation. Less than four. In any case, if your mileage is equal to the already indicated 20,000 kilometers.

In other words, it makes sense to think about HBO only if the mileage is one and a half to two times higher than indicated, or you have a much more power-hungry car, equipped with a V6 or V8 engine. But here, as they say, “God himself commanded.” With an average consumption of 15-17 liters, the payback time is reduced to 1.5-2 years. In addition, with such working volumes and, as a consequence, power, one of the main disadvantages of switching to gas - loss of power - turns out to be not so significant. Well, if you lose 25-30 “horses” it will have almost no effect on the dynamics, but the price tag for fuel will drop quite seriously.

What is typical is that the project budget does not grow that much - on average up to 50,000 rubles. There remains a problem with space in the cargo compartment, but it is completely solvable. Take donut-shaped toroidal cylinders that are installed in the spare wheel well, or mounted under the bottom of the car.

In addition, in nature there are vertical toroidal containers that can be attached to the side cargo compartment. They, of course, eat up space, but at the same time they do not deprive the driver of the opportunity to at least partially transform the rear sofa and do not exclude the presence of a spare wheel. The difficulty is that all this concerns systems for propane - associated petroleum gas. If you prefer a purer natural one, you don’t even have to mention such variability.

“Dry” methane is better than “wet” propane

Propane is stored in a liquefied state, methane is stored in a gaseous state, and under a pressure of 200 atmospheres (propane - 5 atmospheres). Therefore, the containers here are exclusively cylindrical, massive and, as a rule, more expensive. Unless, of course, you want to carry an extra hundredweight in the trunk. For comtrans this is not a problem, but in the case of passenger cars this should be remembered.

However, at . First, it is the fastest renewable fuel on the planet. That is, its price tag does not directly depend on the volume of oil production and refining. Secondly, it is dry, that is, there is basically no condensation in it, which car owners who have chosen oil gas need to get rid of regularly. By and large, methane can become intermediate between gasoline and clean energy. Thirdly, unlike propane, methane is lighter than air, which reduces the risk of explosion or fire by an order of magnitude, even during an accident. That is, when there is a leak, it does not concentrate in the lowest place, but forms a moving cloud that is dispersed by the wind. A concentration of 5 percent is considered explosive, which can be achieved in living conditions almost unreal.

However, this does not mean that it does not have shortcomings. The most important thing is hard technical control: a system operating under a pressure of 200 atmospheres does not tolerate disregard for itself. The second factor is the price and dimensions of the equipment. That is, it pays off much longer. The third is the number of refills. In Moscow and the Moscow region, for example, you can count them on one hand. In the southern regions, on the contrary, special problems Finding the right CNG filling station, as a rule, does not arise. In any case, if the question arose about installing gas equipment, it would not hurt to study pricing and infrastructure in the region. Agree, it’s stupid to save on fuel while losing money on regular mileage.

There are no ready-made solutions

In this case, the best option is not to retrofit the car, but to buy a ready-made one. Which, by the way, solves a lot of problems, starting with issues of system layout and ending with its performance. Some time ago, we had a VW Passat EcoFuel in our editorial test (read more about this car), which impressed literally everyone.

It looked and drove like a regular Passat, but its petrol tank was trimmed down to 15 liters. The vacated space was occupied by three 10-liter methane cylinders (21 kilograms), into which exactly 6 cubic meters of gas fit. The power reserve is the same - 500-600 kilometers, and the price tag for refueling is three times lower than that of its gasoline counterpart. But the Germans never began supplying such Passats to Russia. Moreover, not so long ago they refused to import Caddy EcoFuel. Other manufacturers didn’t even think about such adventures. In general, we can only use the opportunities that exist, that is, install HBO.

Is it worth it?

So, let's summarize. On machines with a small engine displacement and relatively low consumption there is no particular point in re-equipment. Even if the driver spends 30,000 rubles, the payback process will take 4-5 years. The exception is drivers who cover 40,000-50,000 kilometers per year. However, here the issue of the resource of the machine itself becomes very relevant - in just two or three years it will turn into a “bucket” under such a load. Plus the initial loss of power and reduction ICE resource. Both of these can be quite significant in such a situation.

That's enough powerful cars and SUVs, and even more so with light comtrans, it’s becoming more and more clear. The benefit is obvious. The owner may have to set aside a larger budget for re-equipment - 40,000-50,000 rubles, but the payback period will be approximately halved. However, average annual mileage here, too, you need to take into account: if it does not exceed the same 20,000 kilometers, the owner should think carefully and carefully calculate everything.

Cars that are officially considered commercial (the same “heels” or minibuses) are easier to immediately switch to methane without hesitation, since their mileage, as a rule, is long, and there are an order of magnitude fewer problems with the placement of cylinders. In addition, here you can use the most budget containers, install an additional raised floor or place them vertically. All this is possible and accessible. Of course, if you have the desire and the appropriate capabilities.

Reading time: 5 minutes

The issue of reducing fuel costs is now of concern to many. Car park the country is growing rapidly. The decline in world oil prices did not cause a noticeable decline in prices at gas stations. Electric cars are still very expensive, and the main competitor to liquid fuel is liquefied gas. In this article we will analyze the feasibility of such a transition, the main pros and cons of converting a car to gas.

Why switch your car to gas?

For many, reducing operating costs is an element of competition and survival in difficult market conditions. Car owners who use cars for personal and family purposes are also interested in saving the family budget. For this reason, many are looking for.

In addition to saving fuel, cars running on gas produce cleaner emissions from an environmental point of view, but for now the reasons for saving are the main ones.

Is it worth installing gas equipment on a car and will it really be profitable from an economic point of view - this is the main question for motorists thinking about switching to LPG. The answer is ambiguous - on the one hand, gas is noticeably cheaper, on the other, the equipment itself and its installation are quite expensive. In addition, the procedure for gas equipment has become noticeably more complicated since 2016. Now two examinations are required.

In addition, among the pros and cons of gas equipment on cars, we should also consider the need for such equipment. On average, this procedure will have to be carried out once every two years.

Everyone will make the final decision themselves, but we will tell you about the trends in this market. First of all, let's talk about the efficiency of cars with gas equipment.

Once upon a time, gas cost twice as much as gasoline. Formally, such a relationship can still be found today. A liter of liquefied propane costs about the same as half a liter of gasoline, but ninety-five-grade gasoline. Compared to ninety-two and eighty, the ratio is not so attractive. It is also worth considering the fact that when using gas, about 15% more fuel is consumed for each kilometer of travel.
There is HBO, where the price ratio is much more interesting. But the network of methane gas stations is clearly not developed enough for you to be able to safely go wherever you want and not worry about fuel. Based on this, first of all we will talk about propane.

So, the cash costs per kilometer of travel on this fuel are about a third lower than on gasoline. And the conversation here is only about fuel costs; the price of the gas equipment itself is not taken into account. Is it worth switching the car to gas under such conditions? If you travel a lot - definitely.

How to determine whether it is advisable to switch your car to gas

The first LPG kits imported to Russia were designed for outdated engines. They were cheap, and any mechanic from a nearby garage could install them. High qualifications were not required for this. And control over the registration of such cars was weak.

If the pros and cons of gas equipment on a car are primarily assessed from the point of view of economic feasibility, then it has decreased.

A new level of cars also required a new level of gas equipment. There are currently four equipment on the market different generations and each new one is more expensive than the previous one. The costs of installation and maintenance of equipment have also increased.

Not only that for installation the latest systems expensive equipment and highly qualified mechanics are required, and have changed. Certification at a service station is a labor-intensive and expensive process; of course, all costs are ultimately borne by service consumers.

In general, when you evaluate the pros and cons of gas equipment on your car, you should calculate your annual liquid fuel costs and multiply them by the number of years after which you change your car. After this, recalculate the mileage for gas, add the cost of the equipment itself to the result and compare the two obtained figures. If the difference is significantly in favor of gas, the choice is obvious.

If the discrepancy is small, then it is worth remembering the time and money spent on registering equipment and its periodic verification, and drawing conclusions based on these data. According to experts, HBO makes sense for constant high mileage.

Advantages and disadvantages compared to liquid fuel

In addition to the purely economic differences between these types of fuel, there are also differences technical plan, which should also be illuminated. Let's begin with octane number the mixture of propane and butane most often used in cars is 100-105. For a car, on the one hand, this is good - detonation is practically excluded, on the other hand, valves can burn out, although in modern cars this problem is practically absent.

Gas cylinders significantly reduce the useful volume of the trunk. It's colder in a car on gas than on gasoline, which is important in climatic conditions our country.

If you do not monitor the condition of gas equipment and especially cylinders, it becomes damaged. Gasoline, in addition to its main function as fuel, lubricates and cools engine elements during use; gas does not have these properties. On long hauls when using certain types of engines, this factor leads to disruption of valve adjustment.

As for the advantages, the first and main one is savings. Some motorists claim that HBO is now unprofitable. This is not true: with sufficiently intensive use of the machine, all costs are more than recouped. There are more whole line undoubted advantages, in particular, the environmental friendliness of your car.

What is better - gas or gasoline for a car is, of course, up to you to decide, but we will remind you of one more advantage. Liquid fuel supply system, including fuel tank, are completely saved on the machine. The standard fuel range of cars ranges around 500 kilometers. With gas equipment it will increase very, very seriously. When traveling frequently to areas with poorly developed infrastructure, this can be a very significant factor.

We analyzed what gas consumption in a car you can expect in a separate article.

What generation of HBO should I install?

We discussed the pros and cons of a gas car. Let's talk a little about the gas equipment itself. Today the market offers HBO of four different generations.

Naturally, as the generation number increases, its quality and complexity increases. The first generation is suitable for installation on carburetor engines and simple injectors. The second generation is capable of working with cars that have a lambda probe. Both first generations do not exceed Euro-2 environmental standards, and this is important now.

In the third generation, electronic fuel dosing was introduced. The system is characterized by a low response speed to changes in driving mode. The fourth generation is the best that is currently on our market. Gas is supplied to each cylinder separately through injectors and controlled electronically. There are already fifth and sixth generations, but they place increased demands on gas purity and are not yet relevant for us. In addition, they can only be installed by specialists who have undergone special training and certification from the manufacturers of such equipment.

Is it worth installing 4th generation HBO on a car? If you have modern car, finances allow, and you decide to bet gas system, then undoubtedly.

How to switch a car to gas

To bring your decision to life, you will have to go through several stages. Everyone may have questions and difficulties.

How is HBO processed?

First of all, you will have to undergo an examination, which will conclude that installing gas equipment on your car is, in principle, possible. Based on such a document, you will receive permission to install the equipment at the traffic police, and only after that you will proceed directly to the installation.

Then a security review is needed, diagnostic card technical inspection and a number of other papers.

Naturally, you will have to pay at all stages. The amounts depend on the equipment you choose, the equipment and the qualifications of the station you choose Maintenance. You will also need to pay for registration constructive changes at the traffic police department. We described in a separate article how the price of registration of gas equipment in MREO is calculated.

Installation of gas equipment

To convert your car to gas, you will need the equipment itself and qualified mechanics from a certified service station. Either after self-installation you will have to go to them for an examination. The installation of gas equipment on a car is described in detail in this article.

Pros and cons of converting a car to gas: Video

Director of the Center for Technical Expertise of the State Scientific Center of the Russian Federation FSUE “NAMI” Andrey Vasiliev answers readers’ questions.

I want to install gas equipment on my car. What documents must be submitted to obtain a design inspection report after changes have been made? What are the possible difficulties?

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HBO should be installed in accordance with the requirements technical regulations Customs Union “On the safety of wheeled vehicles” (TR CU 018/2011).

To receive a protocol of technical examination of the design after making changes to it, you must submit to NAMI:

• application for changes to the design of the vehicle with a resolution from the traffic police;
• copy of the document on vehicle(registration certificate, registration certificate);
• statement-declaration on the volume and quality of work (filled out by the service that performed the work) with technical description changes made and vehicle characteristics after changes were made;
• certificate of the service station that installed the gas equipment;
• a diagnostic card filled out after the conversion and entered into the Unified Automated information system technical inspection (EAISTO);
• a copy of the preliminary examination report.

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In addition, documents are required for the installed gas equipment:

• copies of certificates of conformity certified by the manufacturer, supplier or seller for individual elements of equipment (according to UNECE Regulations No. 67 or No. 110), as well as for the type of gas cylinder system as a whole for the corresponding family of vehicles (according to UNECE Regulations No. 115);
• passport of a gas cylinder of a wheeled vehicle, issued in a unified form (approved by the decision of the board of the Eurasian Economic Commission dated November 18, 2014 No. 211);
• certificate of periodic testing of gas equipment.

The cylinder passport and the certificate of periodic testing are issued in a single form (approved by the decision of the board of the Eurasian Economic Commission dated November 11, 2014 No. 207), introduced instead of the previously used forms No. 2a and No. 2b. We warn you that some unscrupulous LPG installers offer outdated equipment that does not comply with current safety standards.

I installed a tow bar on my car. Is it necessary to arrange for refurbishment?

You can equip a vehicle with a towing hitch (TCU), for which the manufacturer provides the ability to operate with a trailer. The identification plate placed on the car body indicates the technically permissible maximum weight road trains if the vehicle can be used to tow a trailer (semi-trailer). When installing a trailer hitch, it is necessary to formalize the changes made to the design. The trailer hitch is subject to mandatory certification, so when purchasing, ask the seller for a copy of the certificate of conformity.

The manufacturer has provided for the possibility of operation with a trailer: the maximum weight of the road train is 2700 kg (left). Operation with a trailer is not provided by the manufacturer (on the right). The manufacturer has provided for the possibility of operation with a trailer: the maximum weight of the road train is 2700 kg (on the left). Operation with a trailer is not intended by the manufacturer (right).

Is it possible to increase the environmental class of a car (from Euro-2 to Euro-4) by replacing the engine or installing additional converters?

Compliance with the environmental class is determined during certification tests of each car model with a certain power unit and its systems. Correspondence environmental standards after replacing an engine, power supply or exhaust system components on a car, it is confirmed only by the results of tests carried out in a specially accredited laboratory (in Russia this is only Dmitrovsky Automotive Test Site US). The cost of carrying them out is comparable to the price of a new car, so this is the only legal way improvements environmental class is economically unprofitable.

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My car is more than 20 years old, the engine no longer produces the characteristics declared by the factory. Is it possible to obtain a certificate of power reduction and reduce transport tax?

The tax is levied on the nameplate power of the vehicle, established by the manufacturer at the time of release and declared during certification. Real power and the age of the car are not grounds for reducing taxes.

Installed disc brakes on rear axle car VAZ-2110. Do such changes need to be registered with the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate?

Replacement brake mechanisms affects safety, and this procedure must be documented in in the prescribed manner. Components braking systems are also subject to certification, and only certified units are allowed to be installed on a vehicle.

Do you have any questions for the specialists of FSUE “NAMI”? Ask! E-mail address: [email protected]

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