Martin Grosz
08/26/2021 6:01 AM
Clarín.com
Services
Updated 08/26/2021 6:01 AM
Naphtha had started the year with a pure increase and the
need for savings
translated into a peak in vehicle conversions to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).
Since May, however, the price of a liter of naphtha has been "frozen", while that of a cubic meter
(m3) has risen sharply
.
So the question arises: is it still wise to invest in installing a gas tank in the car?
In the CNG sector, they do not hesitate to answer
yes
: that with the
new equation
, those who start using this alternative fuel continue to achieve
great savings
when driving, capable of
quickly recovering
what they paid to adapt the car.
What are they based on?
In the first place, in that despite recent increases (
20 to 30%
in May and 5% in August),
1 m3
of CNG still costs
60% less
than 1 liter of super gasoline, and yields almost
14% more
(allows travel more kilometers).
Second, they argue, the equipment has just become
more accessible
, since from this month people can finance them with a credit card in
24 fixed installments
of the new official Now 24 plan. Installments that will be paid in
September 2023
.
Before, the maximum was 18 payments.
From this month the conversion of the car to CNG can be paid in up to 24 installments.
Photo: David Fernández / Archive.
"It is true that CNG increased, but the equation
is still good
and conversions
did not decrease
. July was a very good month and August is closing with almost equal levels of activity,"
Horacio Magrath, president of the Argentine Chamber of Commerce
, told
Clarín.
Producers of Complete Gas Equipment (CAPEC).
"This is not an opinion, it is
mathematical
. People do the
math
, they see that they can easily save
$ 5 per kilometer
and that the same
savings pays them the
team
fees
. If you use the car every day, no doubt about it." added.
In July, according to data from the National Gas Regulatory Agency (Enargas), 11,648 installations were registered throughout the country,
46% more
than in the same month last year.
This equates to a rate of 375 conversions per day or
1 every 4 minutes
.
Although the CNG increased, they affirm that it still allows significant savings compared to the use of gasoline.
Photo: Guillermo Rodríguez Adami / Archive.
The costs of circulating with gasoline and CNG, face to face
The price of
m3
of CNG can vary a lot depending on the neighborhood, the chosen service station and even the
schedule
(since some points of sale lower their values at night).
In addition, charging gas is usually cheaper in Capital than in the GBA and the Interior.
In the City of Buenos Aires, after the recent increases, CNG can be loaded paying
almost $ 40
per m3 in some pumps, although in others it can still be obtained at
$ 34
.
Most are
around $ 37
, according to
Clarín
.
Super
gasoline
, meanwhile, has already been at
$ 90.40
per liter for
a quarter at
YPF's service stations in Buenos Aires;
and the premium, at
$ 104.80
.
Thus, 1 m3 of CNG now costs
59% less
than 1 liter of YPF super and almost
65% less
than 1 liter of premium.
Taking into account the greater performance of the m3, it can be calculated that for a
large car
, which consumes 10 liters of supercharger per 100 kilometers, running on gas generates a
saving
of
$ 5.77 per kilometer
.
In this way, for example, for those who usually load
150 liters per month
(three tanks), in Capital, the cost of fuel can fall from $ 13,600 to less than $ 4,900.
About
$ 8,700 in savings
per month.
Likewise, with current prices, the
projected annual savings
amount to
$ 86,550
if
15 thousand kilometers
(or
41 km per day
)
are traveled
;
it is $ 122,400 doing double the distance;
and reaches
$ 183,400
with 30 thousand kilometers.
How much does a conversion to CNG cost today: prices and quota amounts
The last part of the analysis is to compare
these
possible savings
with the
investment necessary
to obtain them, to determine how quickly it could be recovered.
In the CAPEC they indicate that the conversion of a vehicle demand -Practice a few hours- is currently costing on
average
about
$ 80,000
, including full equipment and manpower installation.
According to Magrath, choosing a
60-liter
tank
costs around $ 85,000 to switch to CNG.
And with a 40-liter tank, with less autonomy, about
$ 77 thousand
.
Thus, if current fuel prices are maintained, those who do
15 thousand kilometers
per year and super load would take
less than a year
to recover the invested.
And who does 30 thousand km per year, less than a semester.
But in addition, the conversion can be
paid in
fixed
installments
of the Now 12, Now 18 and Now 24 plans. A 40-liter team, thus, can be obtained in 12 payments of $ 7,600, in 18 payments of $ 5,400 or in
24 payments of $ 4,400
.
"Already doing 900 kilometers per month -30 km per day-, which is something that anyone who uses the car daily to go to work reaches, the
savings exceed the quota
", Magrath closes.
Whoever travels 15 thousand kilometers per year recovers the cost of the conversion in less than 12 months.
Photo: Guillermo Rodríguez Adami.
What to know before taking the plunge: pros and cons of CNG
CNG is mainly sought to save money, but it has other advantages.
It stands out for being a
cleaner technology
.
And despite what many still think, the manufacturers claim that it
does not damage the engine
and offers a driving experience very similar to that of gasoline.
As main points against, yes, you will have to resign yourself to
losing space in the trunk
(where the tank is installed), and to go through the service station up to three times more often, due to the
less autonomy
.
As a reference, it is taken that an economical
40-liter
CNG tank
has an autonomy similar to that of
10 liters of gasoline
.
And a team with a
60-liter
capacity needs to be recharged after going through what
15 liters
of gasoline
yield
.
The tank can take up a third of the space of a large trunk or half of a small one.
Photo: Guillermo Rodríguez Adami.
On the other hand, these recharges will have to be done in a
smaller network of stations
: there are now around
2,031
throughout the country.
And
once a year
the converted car must be taken to a workshop for a
mandatory service
.
Both the installation of the CNG equipment and its annual reviews must only be done in the
workshops authorized
by Enargas, which can be consulted on this official site.
In the country, which had
its
first
CNG service
station
in 1984
, there are
currently 1,735,778
vehicles authorized to load this fuel, of which 50% (877,074) are in the Capital and Province of Buenos Aires, 16% in Córdoba and another 7% in Mendoza.
MG
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