CV Industry Set To Take The Lead In Clean Tech

Successful operation of ethanol, hybrid and electric buses in India is reflective of the fact that the CV industry is set to take the lead in clean tech.

- Bhushan Mhapralkar

Commercial vehicles mean business, and are part of the auto sector that contributes four per cent to India’s GDP. Over 90 per cent of CVs in India are diesel powered, and the remaining 10 per cent are CNG powered. CNG has been limited to selective urban areas of the country due to infrastructural limitations. An indication of the fact that the CV industry has always been active and at the forefront of clean tech, the best example would be the quick transformation of the complete fleet of DTC city buses in 1998 to CNG as part of the apex court’s order, which would mark the first phase of environmental reforms in the country. Many city bus corporations followed DTC and either converted or procured CNG buses. CV manufacturers and engine builders like Cummins were quick to respond with CNG engines and vehicles. That was the time when BS I and BS II found a way into India. The quest for BS VI (equivalent of Euro 6 emission regulations) by 2020 is set to present the CV industry an ability to lead in clean tech. The industry has in fact already snatched the lead by moving more people per vehicle by introducing ethanol, electric and hybrid buses in India.

The Scania ethanol powered city bus was pressed into the city bus service at Nagpur two years ago, and has been successfully operating since then. It uses 95 per cent ethanol, and is supported by a local infrastructure including the production of an additive termed as the ‘ignitor’. An order for the supply of 55 more such buses is claimed to be underway by Scania sources. The sources also claim that the ethanol bus at Nagpur is capable of meeting BS V emission norms from day one of its operation. Scania’s experience in ethanol buses dates back to 1980 when it first introduced an ethanol powered bus in Europe.