CNG Kits For Scooters Launched In Pune

Seeing the rising level of pollution, Maharashtra Natural Gas Limited (MNGL) has launched compressed natural gas (CNG) kits for scooters in Pune. These kits will cost around Rs 16,500. To ensure that they meet safety requirements, the kits are approved by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI).

The CNG kits are manufactured by a private company and were launched on November 23 in the presence of officials from the Regional Transport Office (RTO) and MNGL. Five Honda Activa 3G units fitted with the kits were flagged off from the BPCL petrol pump located opposite RTO. On the same day, MNGL also launched a CNG refilling point at the petrol pump.

A company official revealed that it took six to seven years to develop and make sure the CNG kits are completely safe and adhere to all safety parameters. Each kit comes with a maximum capacity of carrying two kg of CNG and provides an efficiency of around 60km per kg. That's not all, there is a dedicated switch to change from CNG to petrol and vice-versa, which allows one to run the scooter on petrol even after fitting the kit.

Pune is not the only city to get CNG kits for scooters. Earlier, the Indian government launched such kits in Delhi under a pilot programme, nicknamed ‘Hawa Badlo’. The ministry claimed that, with the use of CNG kits, carbon emissions can be reduced by 20 per cent and hydrocarbon emissions by 75 per cent compared to the use of petrol in the same two-wheeler.