Ring out the old, ring in the new. With the Centre bringing in alternate fuel legislation, Maruti was quick on the gun to strap in factory fitted CNG kits into any model the customer chooses. Restrictions have finally been lifted and Bertrand D’souza straps himself in, in one of the oldest surviving people movers of the nation, the Maruti Omni. And gets inevitably drawn into analysis of economics and performance of CNG-driven vehicles opposed to petrol-driven ones.

There is no mistaking the fact that alternate fuel sources such as CNG, LPG, hydrogen etc could be principal fuels powering vehicles of our future. In India the LPG wave caught on very early due to its easy availability and comparatively cheaper prices of kits and the fuel itself. However due to a number of safety aspects that were grossly ignored by the general public, the government did not legalise use of LPG as fuel. However after much deliberation the Supreme Court legalised the use of LPG in August 2000, albeit with the directive that the gas was stored in custom made canisters which had a safety release valve instead of the domestic gas cylinders that had some disastrous results and that the canisters were correctly installed in the vehicle.

LPG as fuel though is an expensive proposition for the nation as India’s natural resources for LPG are quite inadequate and we largely depend on imports leading to massive economic burden which the nation cannot sustain. The only reason we had it so cheap was because of enormous subsidies levied, perhaps the government’s take on trying to instill a strong eco-conscious movement amongst the masses. These subsidies however took a massive toll on the exchequer and sent our import bill skyrocketing and have thus been done away with.

The primary installation in the Maruti Omni is like any other kit fitted at a local vendor. The gas tank takes up quite some space in the storage area. A factory fitment is far neater. Sizes of tanks vary and the user is free to choose the capacity. For practical purposes choose tank big enough to last a week at the least.

CNG on the contrary is available in literally infinite quantities in our country. So how does one explain the long queues at CNG filling stations? Poor distribution networks, inadequate piping facilities and even poorer storage capabilities spell enormous waste of this commodity. With the network in shambles there was no way a consumer could avoid spending hours waiting for a tank-up.

The government, in context of the environment reeling under mushrooming pall of pollution made it mandatory for public transport vehicles in metros to be run on CNG. As there was no corresponding upward shift in availability of CNG, cab/autorickshaw drivers too had to suffer long hours of waiting in queue for refuelling.

Things are finally looking up now that efforts have been made to reduce prices of kits, increase availability of CNG, and set up more CNG stations in metros. The government has also legalised use of CNG as fuel in private vehicles, making prospect of cleaner environment and cheaper fuel a more feasible proposition. A primary clause however stipulates that kits can only be factory fitted and not privately fitted.

Against this backdrop, Maruti Udyog has been astute in providing factory fitted CNG kits to private vehicle owners which previously were available only to the public transport sector. The Omni being perfect for inter-city travel was the first vehicle into which Maruti strapped in the CNG kit. CNG fitment however isn’t just confined to the Omni and Maruti dealers will install a CNG kit into any of their existing models.

OVERDRIVE got hands on both petrol- and CNG-fuelled Omnis to gauge the better option. Cosmetically there is nothing to set the two Omnis apart. However the CNG kit consumes a large chunk of luggage storage space, with the gas canister placed behind the rear passenger seat, pushing it further ahead. Still it helps liberate acres of leg room for the rear seat passengers. The petrol version has two rows of facing seats in the main passenger area with space left over for a couple of small bench seats right at the rear.

Get behind the wheel of the CNG van, stomp the accelerator pedal to the floor and the stark differences between petrol and CNG powered vehicles come to the fore... you’re not getting anywhere at any rubber-streaking pace. The petrol van in contrast though is quick to respond to throttle and the speedo needle does swing past the 100kmph mark. The gas powered van though barely scrapes the 90kmph, taking an eternity to get there. A common belief is that CNG is not good enough for performance machines but that is not the case. CNG has a higher octane rating than petrol and theoretically should be able to exhibit better performance from the engine as compared to petrol powered engines. However a CNG engine lacks the torque that can help a vehicle achieve higher and faster speeds. Fine tune the engine, adjust the timing and you definitely can achieve spot-on performance from the CNG as compared to the petrol van. But performance is no criterion here as the cost factor of CNG as opposed to petrol as fuel is what we must derive. And the CNG Omni does prove to be a fairly cost effective option.

With the price of petrol currently at Rs 33.51 per litre in Mumbai, the petrol Omni with fuel efficiency of 16kmpl, costs about Rs 2.09 to run per kilometre. The gas powered van travelled 18.48km to a kg. CNG per kg costs Rs 19.70 in Mumbai which translates to about Rs 1.06 per km. So the CNG user is shelling out only half the cost of what a petrol-vehicle user does. Economical, for sure! CNG by virtue of being a gas is able to improve the combustion process by completely mixing with air, lesser scope of adulteration keeps the gas clean and free of impurities and better burning properties. This by itself improves the efficiency of the engine however kit installers also detune the engine so that it leans more towards the economy side rather than power.

Currently the priority before one indulges in the CNG driving experience means seeking the nearest CNG outlet with the shortest refuelling queue. Production has increased, distribution has improved, storage is better, but the refuelling lines have not disappeared, though they are not as endless as they used to be.

Mumbai’s largest CNG filling station near Sion is also the hub that supplies CNG all over the city. Being the main station, pressure is higher than elsewhere. This means you can pack in a few more kilos of gas into your canister for a few more kilometres before refill. Taxi drivers get their refills at such depots only so one must be prepared for a couple of hours of waiting. However do not be put off by the long queues as these are for cabs. For private vehicles there is another queue so one can drive in and get a refill most times without hours of waiting.

The need of the hour then is to increase the number of filling stations as the existing ones are woefully inadequate to cater to growing numbers of CNG users. Also, CNG use is still confined to the metros and smaller towns have been completely ignored. And with CNG being proved as safe for use as petrol, the path is clear for a mass move to switch to CNG as viable alternative fuel.