Agility-Advantek-Hexagon partnership steps on the ‘gas'

Aspiring to make a shift away from diesel towards gas fuels for long-distance transportation, a tripartite alliance is ready with a host of tailor-made natural gas solutions for cars and commercial vehicles to start with. They consider converting the existing short-range buses to meet long-range requirements with their CNG systems as an immediate priority to kick-start the transition with a concurrent retro-fitment and OEM approach. Other segments including long-haul trucking and premium passenger cars are to follow suit

- Dhiyanesh Ravichandran

The global automotive industry is finally on road with natural gas. It has become a clean and economic alternative to the woes of conventional fuels and the shortcomings of pure electric mobility. Although natural gas is not new for the automotive industry, it is only in recent times that this space is receiving fresh attention and much-awaited innovation from the leading industry players. The Indian market is no exception, despite having come a long way ahead in adopting natural gas as one of the staple fuels for vehicles in our country. At the forefront of this emerging progression in natural gas solutions is Agility-Advantek, a strategic alliance to provide compressed natural gas (CNG) products and services to the Indian commercial vehicle market.

Early this year, the partnering companies came up with the country’s first long-range CNG bus under a programme led by Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) with a driving range of more than 1,100 km, thanks to its light-weight Type IV composite gas cylinders and sophisticated fuel systems technology. “One of the core objectives of this partnership that emerged in 2018 was to offer a complete 360-degree green fuel technology and experience to customers in India. We are aces in our respective areas, but an integration of ideas and synergies is what we looked at to offer innovative and effective solutions in an emerging and disruptive space,” says Ravindra Vasisht, Regional Director, Agility India.