…Centre to convert 7 vehicles p/d
Vehicle owners in Lagos, Nigeria’s economic hub, seeking to convert their automobiles to CNG-powered, can heave a sigh of relief, as the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) initiative has partnered Ax Gas to establish a conversion centre in the Lakowe area of Lekki, Lagos State.
The CNG auto conversion centre just launched will commence the conversion of government-owned vehicles as well as commercial ones at no cost to the drivers.
The centre has the capacity to convert about seven vehicles in a day. It also has a liquefied petroleum gas plant to sell cooking gas to people around the area.
Andre Bassey, the chief executive officer of Ax Gas, said private car owners can also visit the centre to convert their vehicles at a very affordable cost, depending on the type of vehicle.
According to him, CNG remains the cheaper alternative to petrol, which now sells for over N900 per litre.
“We’re here basically to open two facilities. One is an auto conversion centre from petrol cars to compressed natural gas. And the second reason is for the commissioning of our 12.5 metric tonnes liquefied petroleum gas plant, which is a cooking gas plant,” he said at the event held on Sunday.
Speaking about the link between Ax Gas and the PCNGI, Bassey said, “What the PCNGI does is, once you are ready to invest in this, they give you the enabling environment, the licence, and also provide the kits. So, the kits were provided and licensed by the PCNGI for you to bring into your facility to reduce the cost of operations. We built the facility, and the PCNGI provides the kits for conversion.
“As long as you drive a government-owned vehicle, you can come in to convert your car. Commercial drivers will come through their unions to convert their vehicles for free. But if you are a private owner, there’s a little token you will pay because the idea of the PCNGI is to subsidise transportation so that once it’s freely converted for the commercial users, that way, they can reduce the cost of transport fares.
“Petrol is N930 per litre. If you convert your vehicle, compared to the price of petrol, the CNG equivalent of a litre of petrol is about N350. So, you see that petrol is almost three times the price of compressed gas per litre. It’s way cheaper. Two of my cars have already been converted. If I have a way to pay less for fuel to move my car, why not? I would definitely take it up,” he posited.
Bassey allayed fears of an explosion, saying the CNG cylinder cannot explode if not compromised.
He said that the few cases of explosion reported in Nigeria were a result of cutting corners, warning Nigerians to convert their vehicles in places accredited by the government.
He said, “The CNG cylinder is very thick, way different from the cooking gas cylinder. When somebody now puts something of 250 bar pressure into the cooking gas that can only take 30 bar, your guesses are as good as mine. You know the next thing is that it will explode.
“That’s why we have a learning centre. We keep educating people that they should go to a properly licensed conversion centre where they will have insurance, where the PCNGI has already licensed them to operate just like ours, so that they don’t have to have any of these kinds of issues.”
Joseph Osanipin, director-general, National Automotive Design and Development Council, commended Ax Gas’ push for clean energy solutions for Nigeria’s automotive sector, saying it aligns with NADDC mission to promote sustainable alternative fuels for a greener future.
