Impco's new $1m plant to do LPG mass conversions

LOCAL manufacturers and importers are considering local dual-fuel conversions at a new Victorian Impco production line.

The LPG equipment company is building a new $1 million installation line at its Dandenong South plant solely for new vehicle dual-fuel installation.

Impco Australia managing director Rob Mercer said: “It is what we call a delayed OEM or a second-stage manufacturing plant.

“So we have the ability to offer that kind of service for an OEM or an importer who is interested in doing something with LPG. We can work with the manufacturer the engineering level of the systems and then we can basically become the system supplier and installer at our plant in Dandenong South.

The Impco line is scheduled to be completed by June and will be able to do 16 installations a day.

It is a similar facility to five Impco plants in Italy and Poland.

Impco is yet to lock in any deals with manufacturers to use its new Australian plant, but is confident it will.

“That’s why we have decided to move forward with this,” he said.

“We are fairly confident or we would not be building it.” When asked if Impco was talking to manufacturers about the LPG conversion factory, Mr Mercer said: “Yes, I can’t say who, but we have. Some (are) local manufacturers and some importers, but there is nothing concrete,” he said.

Mr Mercer said the LPG installation line was built to do installations on new vehicles and would not be used to convert used vehicles.

The Impco production line news comes as a range of manufacturers move to offer LPG in light of increased government support and a rise in interest after recent petrol price spikes.

Ford Australia is the most prominent LPG vehicle supplier with 30 per cent of its Falcon and Falcon Ute fleet fitted with the single-fuel LPG system.

Holden offers dual-fuel systems using Impco components fitted at its Adelaide plant by Tom Walkinshaw’s HSVi after-market division.

It has confirmed it will introduce a single-fuel LPG V6 to its Commodore.

HSV is also testing a dual-fuel ClubSport with a view to production if the business case for the innovative vehicle is successful, while Volkswagen is considering importing Golfs with a factory fitted LPG system.

Hyundai is even considering importing an LPG hybrid version of the Elantra small car.

The Impco move could allow manufacturers to counter future fuel spikes and offer customers, especially fleet buyers, dual fuel straight from the showroom.

Impco presented two cars at the Melbourne International Motor Show which it hopes would change the perception of LPG. One was a Ford Mustang V8 and the other an HSV R8 with a Walkinshaw supercharger and both run duel-fuel LPG systems.

The advanced sequential vapour injection is tuned to deliver the same power and torque as the original petrol engines.

Impco says the system allows a six-cylinder large car to travel further on $20 of fuel than a small petrol electric hybrid, 428km versus 396km.

Its calculations, which is factor in a petrol price of $1.19, LPG at $0.37 and diesel at $1.16, also show $20 of fuel would enable a medium diesel car to travel 231km, a small petrol car 210km and a medium petrol car 170km.