India’s first CNG bus which can run 1,000 km in one fill unveiled

In a major step towards making India a gas-based economy and making CNG as the eco-friendly option for long-distance transport in the country, Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel, unveiled India’s first long distance CNG bus fitted with composite CNG cylinders, which can travel around 1,000 km in a single fill. The project has been executed by Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) and has been achieved through pioneering design of Type IV composite cylinders in buses, replacing the traditional, very heavy Type-I carbon steel cylinders.

Lauding the initiative, Pradhan described it as a milestone in ease of living for the people of country. He said that these CNG buses are being run on pilot basis, but soon they will be scaled on commercial basis. “Delhi has witnessed a revolution in the shift towards cleaner, gas-based fuels. Over 500 CNG stations are operating in Delhi NCR today and about 12 lakh piped natural gas connections have been provided. Over 1,000 PNG connections are being provided daily in the NCR. Long-haul CNG buses originating from Delhi to other locations will further drive this shift towards cleaner gas-based fuels. This will improve overall ease of living of people by mitigating the problem of air pollution, ensuring a cleaner environment and reducing waiting time at CNG stations,” Pradhan said.

He said that the Government wants to have green corridor around the national capital, with the buses from Delhi to Chandigarh, Dehradun, Agra, and Jaipur running on CNG. Congratulating the agencies involved in the long distance CNG bus fitted with composite CNG cylinders, he said that the cost of such cylinders should be brought down, and economies of scale used to make them more popular and acceptable.

Pradhan said that India is not a pollutant nation when compared with many others, but being a responsible nation, the Prime Minister has promised to bring down the country’s carbon footprint. The minister said that the government is committed to promote the gas-based economy, and in this regard $100 billion investment is being made in the energy infrastructure. He further said that the government wants to begin door-to-door delivery of petrol, CNG and LNG, as is being done for diesel by mobile dispenser. He added that LNG will also be added as the transportation fuel. Pradhan said that a pilot project of hydrogen-blended CNG fuel is already running in the city, and it will soon be scaled up. He said that the government is promoting the waste-to-wealth efforts, and all sources of energy will be used to bring down India’s oil import dependency and make the environment better.

The introduction of long-range CNG buses fitted with lightweight composite cylinders has the capacity to revolutionise the fight against air pollution across the nation. CNG buses are on Indian roads for more than two decades now, but due to on-board storage issues, these buses are having a range of 200-250 km per fill only, thus the application of CNG buses in short distance or Intra City Transport only.

The buses which used to carry only 80-100 kg of CNG with steel cylinders can carry 225-275 kg of CNG with the new, lightweight Type IV composite cylinders. More storage of CNG means more kilometre range of buses. Buses fitted with Type IV composite cylinders have a running range of approx. 800-1,000 km per fill of CNG. Now with this launch, DTC and other State Transport Corporations can again start their long-haul operations through CNG buses. In addition, with more capacity of CNG in one vehicle, it is likely that there shall be reduction in queues at the CNG stations, as these buses will not have to come frequently for fuelling. Also, retrofitting with Type IV CNG cylinders is possible in buses running on CNG and other fuels.