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I really don't know about Volvos running LPG, but I had a big, hippie school bus, a 1977 International LOADSTAR 1700, which was converted from gas to propane in the early '80s when propane was much cheaper than gas, the cost of which I suppose made up for its significant lack of power and mileage. It seemed as though it had gotten three to five miles per gallon on propane where it would have gotten nearly twice that with gas.
In the year 2003, it's less practical of a fuel than it was 20 years ago; Although generally less expensive than gasoline, last year the price fluxuated from $1.19 per gallon to over $2.00 across the North West, and even in the same city. However, in most states the price of propane isn't regulated as much as gasoline (and in some cases I could even successfully dicker on the price with the attendant. Try that at Chevron!). In addition, in some states the price differs depending on what it is to be used for. At one place I went to in Gerlach, NV., it was much cheaper if you were to use it as a cooking fuel as opposed to a taxable vehicle fuel. I quickly learned to tell the attendant that the 80 gallon tanks on the bus were for... um, the *appliances* (ahem).
If you're on a long trip, it can be a pain in the arse to find propane stations and a bigger pain in a bigger arse to fill your tanks after hours, especially in Oregon where you can't even pump your own gasoline, let alone LPG. If I was traveling and it was after 6:00 PM I'd have to park the bus until the hard-to-find propane distributor opened in the morning.
It does have its benefits, though. It's MUCH cleaner burning so it's better for the environment and better for your engine. In two years of driving that beast the oil would never darken between oil changes. Gasoline's the worst thing you can put in your engine next to Karo Syrup. Oh, and gravel.
If you can find a cheap, reliable source for LPG and you don't mind a slight lack of power, it would be worth trying-- But don't throw out your old carburettor yet.
The BEST thing to do would be to run on hydrogen. You can make it yourself out of water and 12 volts. There's plenty of research being done by individuals which looks very promising. One approach used a compound of some kind (Damn! I can't remember the name of it...) in the hydrogen storage tank which acted as a "sponge" for the fuel, meaning it held the hydrogen in a non-volatile state and would only leech off the perfect amount needed for the engine, precluding any fears of explosion. To keep the fuel tank filled, the spinning of the wheels while driving turned generators which would store power in a battery which would work all night making more fuel from water! But I digress...
-Ben
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