The government of India’s mandate to increase CNG use in its urban transportation sector to mitigate vehicle related emissions presents tremendous opportunities for Canadian companies. India’s automotive companies are looking for innovative compressed natural gas technologies to integrate into and enhance their product offerings, and Canada is a world leader in the CNG field in terms of conversion technology, storage equipment, and technical expertise.
CNG India will undertake two year-long demonstration projects to highlight the advantages of the Canadian technologies and stimulate demand for new products. The first project will equip six state-of-the-art transit and intercity buses from Tata motors with advanced CNG engines from Cummins Westport and lightweight aluminum and carbon fiber CNG storage systems from Dynetek. The combination of engine and storage technology provides improved vehicle emissions, torque, fuel economy and extended driving range, the latter a key limitation of the conventional steel cylinders currently used in India’s buses. Tata Motors will debut the CNG buses in 2007.

The second demonstration showcases 250 new Esteem passenger cars from Maruti, which will be converted to CNG operation using ECO Fuel’s conversion kits. ECO Fuel’s digital injection technology is designed specifically for advanced fuel injected petrol vehicles, enabling them to meet stricter emissions regulations without degrading vehicle performance and fuel economy. The 250 Esteems will be placed with Maruti’s commercial fleet customers in Mumbai in early 2007.

To ensure Canadian CNG technology performs to requirements in India, ATFCAN has integrated critical support and evaluation services into CNG India. These services include warranties, technical training, and a vehicle monitoring program to track emissions and operational performance. Working with the Canadian partners in CNG India are ACE Gas Conversions, Cummins India, Empire Industrial Equipment, Veecon-IPA Gastechnik, and Environment Canada.

CNG India receives funding from the Government of Canada through the Technology Early Action Measures (TEAM) program, Canada’s premiere funding mechanism for late-stage technology demonstration and early commercialization. The TEAM program is administered by Natural Resources Canada, Environment Canada and Industry Canada.