Vehicle Conversions to Alternative Fuels on an Unprepared Market of a Developing Country: A Certain Way to Failure

After a substantial success of LPG vehicles in Serbia and an extensive shift toward bi-fueled LPG gasoline passenger cars, the market, and especially corporate users were eager to welcome all the other alternative and renewable fuels, such as CNG and biodiesel. The main prerequisite was that they could be implemented shortly, as soon as possible with as lower technical interventions and implementation investments as possible, and with really high expectations of considerable short-term savings. It is now certain that enthusiastic but inexperienced users as well as an immature vehicle market and refueling infrastructure in a developing country recovering from a decade-long crisis as the Republic of Serbia, expected a miracle, which unfortunately did not happen. In the paper, the authors present some of the problems that have arisen, especially from insufficient fuel availability and poor quality of conversion. This occurred since the majority of car owners expected important incentives and subventions for conversions due to the stringent cost limitations (i.e. lower incomes). Unfortunately, national policy never backed up this isolated effort. From such an implementation experience important lessons were learned and highlighted in the paper, as well as some of the applicable best practices to overcome it from similar/comparable countries. Eventually, several crucial recommendations were delivered for all the subsequent trials and promotions. This includes the presently lacking, but in the near future necessary, national supportive policy for alternative fuels in transportation. This is in order not to disappoint the users any more and make a stable path for their wider, easier and effective implementation.

• Record URL:
  • http://www.ijtte.com/uploads/news_files/ICTTE_Belgrade_2012_Proceedings.pdf
• 
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/9788691615307
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract republished with permission of City Net Scientific Research Center, Belgrade.
• Corporate Authors:

  Scientific Research Center Ltd.

  Obilicev venac 4/3
  Belgrade,   Serbia  11000
• Authors:
  • Momčilović, Vladimir
  • Bunčić, Stevo
  • Brčerević, Slobodan
  • Vujanović, Davor
• Conference:
  • First International Conference on Traffic and Transport Engineering
  • Location: Belgrade , Serbia
  • Date: 2012-11-29 to 2012-11-30
• Publication Date: 2012

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 85-92
• Monograph Title: Proceedings of First International Conference on Traffic and Transport Engineering (ICTTE)

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alternate fuels; Biodiesel fuels; Biomass fuels; Compressed natural gas; Energy conversion; Implementation; Natural gas buses; Vehicles
• Subject Areas: Energy; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01594719
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 9788691615307
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 30 2016 9:47AM