We’ve already reported about the Holden go-fast division’s plans to introduce smaller non-V8 models, as well as a renewed interest at the company for alternative fuels, such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and diesel.
HSV has now confirmed to Australia’s Drive that it is working on an advanced LPG system that promises to deliver similar performance to petrol. With LPG costing half as much as petrol in many parts of the globe, it’s easy to see how beneficial this system could potentially be – especially if the technology is loaned to General Motors branches outside of Australia.
The new LPG system is called liquid propane injection (LPi) and is essentially an extra eight injectors fitted to the inlet manifold near a V8 engine’s inlet ports. A pump inside the LPG tank pressurizes the fuel and sends it to the injectors where it enters the engine still in its liquid form.
In liquid form, air-fuel mixtures can be calculated more accurately, which in turn increases efficiency and boosts power. Current LPG systems inject the fuel in a gaseous state, making it much more difficult to mix with air in the correct ratio. There are other benefits to using LPG as well - the fuel releases less carbon-dioxide emissions when burning and it has a higher octane rating than petrol.
On the other hand, LPG doesn't have the same calorific (energy) value of petrol, which means mileage is usually worse. LPG can also be difficult to find as many fuel stations don’t serve it, but any LPG model will be dual-fuel capable.
