Bajaj Auto plans to leverage a number of various powertrains to deal with the associated fee challenges confronted by prospects and emissions challenges confronted by the nation, with a renewed concentrate on CNG. Compressed Natural Gas is taken into account a cleaner various to conventional fuels like petrol and diesel, and it has the potential to contribute to the discount of carbon emissions. 

In an interview with our sister publication Autocar Professional, Rakesh Sharma, govt director, Bajaj Auto, speaks in regards to the virtues of CNG, how it may be additional democratised and the way the federal government might help in selling this cleaner gasoline much more.

How do you see CNG as a substitute within the coming decade?

Let me start by saying that CNG is a cleaner gasoline than diesel due to negligible particulate matter emission, however it’s not a zero-emission gasoline. Most doubtless, the nation’s progress in the direction of decrease emission fuels, self-dependency and discount in foreign exchange outflow can be pushed by a mix of choices like CNG, ethanol mixing and EVs.

To that extent, we’re lucky as a rustic to have all these choices open to us. However, every a type of choices requires long-range pondering, co-option of customers and the constructing of an ecosystem. For instance, within the case of CNG, it’s not nearly pumps but in addition a few a lot greater community of certifying companies to make sure excessive security requirements.

What may the federal government’s position be in popularising CNG as a substitute gasoline?

Through the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the federal government has performed a pivotal position over the many years to develop CNG as a reputable choice for a number of makes use of together with transportation. The CNG community of pumps and sub-stations have provide you with outstanding velocity and have been instrumental in shifting customers from diesel to CNG. Almost 5,000 CNG pumps now cowl 47 % of our districts and the Government of India has a acknowledged goal of doubling this community, which is able to make CNG very extensively accessible.

What is your evaluation of the penetration of CNG gasoline within the 2-wheeler, 3-wheeler and quadricycle section within the coming decade?

Currently, nearly 60 % of ICE three-wheelers in India are powered by CNG. Both Quadricycles and 2ws can be powered by CNG. As the CNG community expands and turns into simply in addition to extensively accessible, increasingly autos can shift to CNG. OEMs like us may even be inspired to develop all sorts of autos which use CNG as a gasoline. This turns into a singular alternative the place all stakeholders, the federal government, the shoppers, the society at massive and the OEMs all stand to win. Therefore, a powerful case may be made for the discount of GST for CNG-based autos, it will hasten the adoption and the event of newer autos in addition to use instances.

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What is your view on the shopper behaviours in every of the gasoline segments and the way can prospects discover worth in CNG as a substitute?

Consumer behaviour is pushed by financial causes. CNG presents a minimum of 10 % higher working efficiencies than diesel in addition to being a cleaner gasoline. For business customers this working benefit is sizable and that’s the reason we see a wholesale shift from diesel to CNG wherever the community is put in place.

What are Bajaj Auto’s aspirations to develop on this crucial house?

We have been intently aligned to this infrastructure improvement and through the years have invested in constructing excellent three-wheeler merchandise based mostly on CNG. These have been obtained very effectively by prospects rewarding us with an 80 % or so market share of the CNG section in three-wheelers. Looking on the authorities’s dedication to increase utilization of CNG, we’re creating different automobile choices too. We intend to stay on the forefront of this improvement and utility.

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Bajaj Auto’s Rakesh Sharma talks about CNG in two wheelers and extra