Vega also explained that the EEC-GNV invests around 120 million bolivianos (over US$ 17 million) annually in the conversion program, an amount that is funded with an additional charge of 0.20 cents of boliviano per cubic meter of CNG loaded in the country.
Moreover, the vice-president Alvaro Garcia Linera said the government has already asked drivers of diesel vehicles to switch to natural gas. But since this transition is not as easy as the gasoline-to-CNG one (because there is no conversion kit available), they will carry out a plan to deliver new engines for free to carriers. “We are willing to make that sacrifice because for every bus that stops using diesel, the nation can save money too,” he said.
The country currently has 107 conversion workshops located in six departments: 42 in La Paz, 27 in Santa Cruz, 28 in Cochabamba, four in Oruro, four in Chuquisaca and two in Potosi.
