Russia's Gasoline Shortage Sparks Surge in LPG Vehicle Conversions

Recently, multiple Russian oil refineries have been hit by attacks, causing domestic gasoline shortages and price hikes, leading to long queues of vehicles at gas stations across many regions. Against this backdrop, a growing number of car owners are converting their vehicles to run on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Yegor Popov, head of Moscow-based Garant-Gas, said that conversion appointments are already booked until September. Sergei Medvedev, head of another conversion company, Medvedev GBO, noted that his firm receives around 276 inquiry calls daily but can only complete 30 to 40 conversions due to limited capacity. He pointed out that LPG refueling does not require waiting in line and costs only half—or even one-third—the price of gasoline. LPG primarily consists of propane and butane, derived from natural gas processing and crude oil refining, and produces fewer pollutants when burned compared to gasoline. Russia was already the world’s largest consumer of automotive LPG prior to these recent events. According to data from the World LPG Association, Russia consumed approximately 3.5 million tons of automotive LPG in 2024. Official Russian statistics show that in 2023, automotive fuel accounted for 54% of the country's total LPG consumption, with more than one-third used as feedstock in the petrochemical industry.