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Commercial vehicle maker SML Isuzu has forayed into the electric vehicle business with the launch of Hiroi.ev platform for commercial buses that are expected to be rolled out in the April-June quarter this year, a senior company official said. While admitting the continuing dominance of diesel, petrol, CNG-based vehicles, the company expects the government's sustainability targets and programmes to push demand for EV buses and bring down cost of production with large volumes. "As we introduced our first ever EV bus, I think technology is available and we are ready for implementation. We think this is the right time to roll out EVs. India is one of the most promising markets in the world. Indian government plans for 30 per cent EV penetration in total sales by 2030 will provide us strong support for growth in EV buses," SML Isuzu, MD and CEO, Junya Yamanishi said at Bharat Mobility Global Expo. The company's Hiroi.ev bus platform has been designed for intra and inter-city ...
The enforcement of Stage IV of GRAP, which bans BS-3 and BS-4 diesel vehicles, has disrupted travel and transportation, particularly for those engaged in the wedding business. The Central Pollution Control Board imposed GRAP-IV measures after Delhi's air quality index (AQI) entered the 'severe' category on Sunday. The restrictions, which came into effect at 8 AM Monday, aim to curb pollution caused by older diesel vehicles. However, the measure has had unintended consequences. Travel agencies report a sharp rise in demand for BS-6 and CNG vehicles, including cars like Ertiga, Innova, and traveller buses, as they scramble to meet commitments made before the ban. "The wedding season has added to the pressure. Many vehicles were pre-booked months in advance, and with this sudden ban, we had to scramble to adjust," said Sewak Tuar, a travel agency owner. "We are struggling to arrange new vehicles, the petrol, CNG, and BS-6 compliant ones, as weddings and transportation needs are bein
City gas companies like Indraprastha Gas Ltd and Adani Total Gas Ltd are mulling an increase in CNG prices after supplies of cheaper input gas was cut for the second time in a month, but the government officials say the retailers must give a cost breakup to justify the hike. The government, with effect from November 16, cut supplies of low-priced natural gas coming from old fields to city gas retailers by up to 20 per cent. This reduction came on the back of a 21 per cent reduction on October 16. City gas retailers IGL, which retails CNG in national capital and adjoining cities, Mahanagar Gas Ltd that does the same in Mumbai, and Adani Total Gas Ltd which operates in Gujarat and elsewhere, in regulatory filings flagged profitability concerns due to supply cut and hinted at price hike. Officials in the ministry of petroleum and natural gas however are unimpressed as they feel the retailers operate on "hefty" margins and can easily absorb the additional cost they may have to incur on
The government has for the second time in a month cut supplies of cheaper domestically produced natural gas to CNG retailers, who have warned of their profitability being hit. Indraprastha Gas Ltd - the firm that retails CNG to automobiles and piped cooking gas to households in the national capital and adjoining cities - in a stock exchange filing said domestic supplies have been cut by about 20 per cent effective November 16. Previously, supplies had been cut by about 21 per cent effective October 16. "Based on another communication received by the company from GAIL (India) Ltd (the nodal agency for domestic gas allocation), this is to inform that there has been further reduction in domestic gas allocation to the company effective from November 16, 2024. The revised domestic gas allocation to the company is approx. 20 per cent lesser than previous allocation which will have an adverse impact on profitability of the company," IGL said. IGL gets domestic gas allocation for meeting t
Arvindar Singh Sahney will be the new chairman of Indian Oil Corporation, the nation's largest oil firm, according to an order issued by the petroleum ministry on Wednesday. Sahney, 54, is currently Executive Director (Business Development - Petrochemicals), Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOC). He was in August selected to be the company's director for business development but has now been appointed as the chairman of the firm. "The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the proposal of this ministry for appointment of Shri Arvindar Singh Sahney, Executive Director, IOC to the post of Chairman, IOC, for a period of five years with effect from the date of his assumption of charge of the post, or till the date of his superannuation, or until further order, whichever is the earliest," the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said in an order. The post of chairman IOC fell vacant after Shrikant Madhav Vaidya completed his extended tenure on August 31, 2024. Currently, .
The gas procurement cost of city gas distribution (CGD) companies is set to rise by Rs 2-3 per kilogram (kg) following a reduction in allocation of input natural gas under the administered price mechanism (APM), rating agency Crisil said Wednesday. City gas operators get priority gas allocation at reduced prices under APM from legacy gas fields for the domestic compressed natural gas (CNG) and piped natural gas (PNG) - domestic segments. As per recent public announcements by these companies, GAIL (India) Ltd, the nodal agency for domestic gas allocation in the country, has reduced the APM gas allocation for the CNG segment by 20 per cent of their CNG requirement, effective October 16, 2024. "To note, APM allocation for CGD players will now be reduced to about 50 per cent of their CNG requirement, from the allocation level of around 70 per cent this fiscal year so far," Crisil said in a note. So, to maintain adequate supply, the CGD players will need to procure gas from costlier ...
The government has slashed by up to 20 per cent the supplies of cheaper domestically produced natural gas to city retailers -- a move that may result in Rs 4-6 per kg hike in the price of CNG sold to automobiles, unless excise duty on the fuel is cut, sources said. Natural gas pumped from below the ground and from under the seabed from sites ranging from the Arabian Sea to Bay of Bengal within India is the raw material that is turned into CNG for sale to automobiles and piped cooking gas to households. Production from legacy fields, whose price is regulated by the government and which are used to feed city gas retailers, has been falling by up to 5 per cent annually due to natural decline that has set in. This has led to supply cuts to city gas retailers, four sources in know of the matter said. While the input gas for piped cooking gas that households get is protected, the government has cut supply of raw material for CNG. Gas from legacy fields used to meet 90 per cent of the dema
Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated the 'Lal Tipara Gaushala' with Bio-CNG plant in Gwalior and launched various development projects of Rs 685 crore in Madhya Pradesh on the occasion of Swachhta Diwas on Wednesday. Swachhta Diwas is observed on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti (October 2) every year. The 'gaushala', or cow shelter, with the Bio-CNG plant that can produce three tonnes of natural gas per day using 100 tonnes of cow dung, has been set up in collaboration with the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), an official said. It is India's first modern and self-reliant gaushala, he said. The plant will also produce 20 tonnes of high-quality organic manure, the official said, adding the IOC will assist in the operation and maintenance of the plant. The gaushala was developed at a cost of Rs 32 crore from the corporate social responsibility fund of the IOC, and an additional one hectare of land has been reserved for its expansion, the official said. The prime minister a
The Bihar government on Tuesday announced a reduction in VAT on compressed natural gas (CNG) and piped natural gas (PNG), used for domestic purposes and motor vehicles, by 7.5 per cent - from 20 to 12.5 per cent - in the state. The government also announced the reduction of VAT on PNG, used by industrial units manufacturing goods, from 20 per cent to 5 per cent. The decision to this effect was taken in a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar here. Talking to reporters, soon after the cabinet meeting, S Siddharth, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Cabinet Secretariat, said, The state Cabinet approved reduction in VAT on CNG and PNG, used for domestic purposes and motor vehicles, from 20 per cent to 12.5 per cent in the state. Industrial and business organizations requested the state government to slash the VAT as it is higher than that in neighbouring states, he said. After consideration, the government decided to reduce it on natural gas sold through the city gas
Maruti Suzuki India is looking to sell around 6 lakh CNG vehicles in the current fiscal, an increase of around 25 per cent as compared to FY24, according to a senior company executive. The country's largest carmaker company on Wednesday expanded its CNG model range as it rolled out its premium hatchback Swift with S-CNG trims. "This fiscal we are targeting to sell around 6 lakh CNG units. We ended last year with sales of around 4.77 lakh units," Maruti Suzuki India Senior Executive Officer (Marketing and Sales) Partho Banerjee told PTI in an interaction. In the April-August period this fiscal, the auto major has so far sold 2.21 lakh units, he added. The new Swift comes in three variants priced at Rs 8.19 lakh; Rs 8.46 lakh and Rs 9.19 lakh respectively. Banerjee said the S-CNG trims deliver a fuel-efficiency of 32.85 km/kg. "The company pioneered the production of CNG vehicles in India back in 2010. Since then, we have sold over 2 million S-CNG vehicles to date, contributing to