Fitting a CNG tank to a petrol motor doesn’t cost much extra, and rules in parts of the country requiring taxis to run on the combined fuel have made for good business for some automobile makers. Most Japanese carmakers no longer offer diesel engines after rules strangled demand in polluted Indian cities.
Homegrown motorcycle maker Bajaj has taken this logic further with the launch of the world’s first CNG motorcycle, Freedom 125. Bajaj has extensive experience in producing CNG autorickshaws and is testing the market in personal mobility, like the Japanese carmakers.
Both face challenges over fuel supply. CNG-filling stations are few. However, the numbers are streets ahead of charging stations for EVs. If the experiment by Bajaj, known for its innovative approach to personal mobility, works, it would have created a market segment.
Yes, the risk is these innovations could delay India’s switch to EVs. Already, hybrid cars with engines and motors that recharge on the go have become the go-to segment for budget- and environment-conscious buyers. This is aided by tariff protection to domestic electric cars on fears of dumping by Chinese EV makers. India has to take enormous strides in EV production before it becomes a mass market.
Till then, automobile companies will have to tinker with their product portfolios to offer interim solutions. Arguments that imported natural gas is more efficient than imported crude oil are diversionary. They draw attention away from the goal of energy transition to renewable sources. That means a countrywide network of charging stations dispensing electricity generated from solar energy.