by The implementation of automotive gas began to gradually recover in early summer, but, according to a number of experts, it may significantly drop again. The reason is the return of fuel taxes from July 1. The cost of the most affordable automotive fuel will gradually increase to 5 hryvnias per liter. This will significantly hit the pockets of car owners.
In addition, the increase in prices will almost inevitably lead to some sellers’ desire to keep low prices to retain regular customers and attract new ones. The simplest way to achieve this is to tamper with the fuel quality or accuracy of dispensing. Has it started or not – the experts from the Institute of Consumer Expertise in the capital provided an answer, as they checked two most interesting parameters for car owners – dispensing accuracy and the composition of the blue fuel.
In the world of ‘gasmen,’ conversations most often revolve around the accuracy of dispensing at gas stations, more precisely, underfilling. It’s not about a few grams; discussions involve 3, 5, or even 10 liters of underfill. None of the garage ‘experts’ even considers the possibility of malfunctions in the gas cylinder equipment, such as a cut-off or multi-valve, reducer, or poor pipelines. The default culprits are always gas stations. Therefore, the experts first verified whether this could really happen.
By regulations, underfilling should not exceed 1%, but in reality, achieving such a result at the pump is quite challenging. The experts selected a fixed volume of gas liters at each gas station, and then, using a formula and considering density, recalculated it to volume. The results were polarized – on one hand, some underfilling was found, on the other hand, it could not reach three or more liters for a standard car tank.
But let’s start with the positive side – in two networks (WOG and KLO), they actually ‘overfilled’ – respectively, by three and one percent more than paid! This, in general, is not surprising, as reputation comes at a high price, and perhaps that’s why these networks had exemplary measuring instruments for the control pour, which any customer can request.
They refueled accurately at the UPG gas station. Underfilling was found in the networks BRSM-Nafta, U.GO, BARS, and on an illegal ‘drum.’ Interestingly, it amounted to 3-4%. It may not seem like much, but it turns out that higher prices in large networks almost compensate for dispensing accuracy, meaning the actual cost is almost the same. Moreover, if we calculate the annual turnover, small percentages of underfill transform into rounded amounts that are not recorded by the fiscal system. However, this is a completely different story.
What about the nature of myths about total underfilling? GBO installation experts say there could be several reasons. Firstly, the tanks installed in cars are not a measuring unit themselves; their capacity, even if indicated in the passport, is approximate. A 20% error is not extraordinary. The marking can also be different – some manufacturers write 40 liters, for example, but it means 80% of the total volume. And if the cut-off valve is faulty (according to GBO service specialists, in half of the cases, it is either missing or defective), the dispenser can pour in 100%, i.e., a discrepancy of 20%. Therefore, ‘gasmen’ first need to thoroughly check the GBO condition in the car.
What did the laboratory tests show?
The second test was the examination of the component composition, i.e., what automotive gas actually consists of. As known, automotive gas is a mixture of propane and butane, as well as other hydrocarbons (isobutane, propylene, ethane, ethylene, etc.). It should also correspond to seasonality – there are winter and summer versions, just like in diesel fuel. In summer and winter, the ratio of the main components – propane and butane – should change. In summer, it’s 40% propane and 60% butane, in winter – vice versa.
In the laboratory, it was found that all samples were summer ones. The sample from WOG had the most propane (44/55); the ratio was practically ideal in KLO (41/55) and UPG (39/56). These results will ensure the most complete combustion of the mixture and, therefore, maintain driving economy. Furthermore, low values of harmful propylene content for the fuel system were found in the samples from KLO and WOG, confirming that this gas is indeed Autogas. In simpler terms, this fuel underwent additional purification during production.
Finally, another important parameter was checked – gas density. The higher it is, the longer the mileage will be. In this parameter, the highest indicators were obtained from the same KLO and WOG samples – 538 and 536 kg/m3, respectively. On the other side of the scale was the sample from BRSM-Nafta, with a density of 522 kg/m3.
In general, as stated by Yuriy Chornobryvetz, the director of the Institute, ‘the gas situation is not as bad as it could be. Violations exist, but it’s difficult to call them critical. The main thing is that only factory fuel is sold – which is proven by more or less equal prices and the abundance of it.’ Regarding underfilling, experts advise motorists to refuel only where columns have proper metrological verification and appropriate seals. This will significantly reduce the risk. As for the ‘garage’ myths about low-quality gas that is not even filled by dozens of liters, they can be put to an end. If you want to save money, have installed GBO – don’t be stingy, service it as needed. This way, you’ll preserve your car, wallet, and personal safety.
Aleksandr Babenko
