“In the present situation, CNG seems to be the most appropriate alternative fuel for India.” Sustainability Report
Mr, R C Bhargava, Chairman of Maruti Suzuki India Limited, has delivered his company’s 2010-2011 Sustainability Report, part of which addresses alternative fuel directions. Maruti confirms its alternative fuel development is firmly focused on compressed natural gas vehicles and that it plans to launch more natural gas vehicles. The following extracts come from the report.
“Environmental considerations are influencing government policies and product plans of automobile manufacturers. The government has asked SIAM [Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers] to study the potential for electric and hybrid vehicles in India. We believe that the shortage of electricity and the lack of infrastructure for charging cars will be a major handicap to the spread of electric vehicles. Hybrid car technology for small cars, at reasonable cost, has yet to be developed. In the present situation, CNG seems to be the most appropriate alternative fuel for India. CNG reduces vehicle running cost and fuel emissions. It would make more economic sense to use CNG for running automobiles than to burn it for generating electricity, and use electric cars.
“Government support is required to make CNG available across the country. Adequate CNG needs to be allocated for automotive use. The five models with CNG option launched by Maruti Suzuki have been received well by customers in areas where the fuel is available. We plan to launch more vehicles with the CNG option.
“The Company renewed its commitment to environmental protection with the launch of factory-fitted CNG variants of five models with i-GPI technology: Alto, WagonR, Eeco, Estilo and SX4. The i-GPI technology used in these vehicles is better than the conventional CNG technology as it delivers higher fuel efficiency, and the loss of power is negligible.
“The Company is also working on dedicated CNG projects where the vehicle will run only on CNG.”
(This article compiled using information from the Maruti Suzuki India Limited 2010-2011 Sustainability Report)
