Bajaj Auto set to launch world's first CNG bike 'Freedom 125' on Friday
The bike is likely to have flexible fuel options and will feature two separate switches for petrol and CNG
 "Bajaj Auto set to launch world's first CNG bike 'Freedom 125' on Friday")
Two-wheeler major Bajaj Auto is all set to launch the world's first CNG bike on Friday, with Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari expected to attend the event in Pune.
While the Pune-based company is yet to reveal the name of the bike, reports claim it is expected to be in the 125 cc segment and will be named Freedom 125. The bike is likely to have flexible fuel options and will feature two separate switches for petrol and CNG.
The company said earlier that they were aiming to bring the bike into an affordable segment. Bajaj Auto will position its upcoming CNG bike towards the value-conscious customer, a senior company official said.
A launch is expected in the April-June quarter of 2024-25 and the company will start with the Maharashtra market, Rakesh Sharma, ED, Bajaj Auto had said in April.
In March, company MD Rajiv Bajaj said that in CNG bikes, carbon dioxide emission is down by almost 50 per cent, carbon monoxide by 75 per cent, and non-methane hydrocarbons by 90 per cent when compared to gasoline. He also said it would effectively double mileage or halve the cost of fuel.
Analysts believe the bike is likely to be priced affordably, targeting customers with monthly earnings of Rs 30,000-40,000. It could be priced around Rs 10000-12,000 more than a petrol bike, but the cost could be recovered from less fuel spending. Bajaj also has plans to export the CNG bike to Bangladesh, Egypt, among other countries.
The two-wheeler industry has been toying with CNG fuel for some time now. In 2016, a pilot in Delhi by the government attempted to test CNG-powered Honda Activa models. The pilot project did not take off as there were performance-related issues with petrol two-wheelers, primarily a lack of power. Packing CNG tanks into a two-wheeler is also not easy and leads to maintenance costs.
Bajaj Auto, which has more than a 30 per cent market share in India’s three-wheeler market, has already tasted success with CNG technology, with around 60 per cent of three-wheelers running on CNG.