Bajaj CNG Bike: Registrations Open On New Official Website

(Update: The Bajaj Freedom 125 has been launched at Rs 95,000 (ex-showroom). Check out the details here.)

Quick News Highlights:

- May not be a pan-India launch due to the lack of CNG infrastructure in remote areas.
-That’s why the Bajaj CNG Bike is likely to launch in a phased manner.
- Government of India plans to set up 17,500 CNG stations by 2030.
- 70% of auto-rickshaws in India are running on CNG, with 89% of them being from Bajaj

The Bajaj CNG bike’s official website is now live, including a registration link for updates on the upcoming CNG bike, which will be launched on July 5, 2024. While the website hasn't revealed the Bajaj CNG bike specs, it has details about the current CNG infrastructure in India.

Bajaj CNG Bike: Does India Have A Good CNG Pump Network?

Currently, the CNG pump network in India is not as advanced because many cities still lack the essential infrastructure for these stations. Taking that into consideration, the Bajaj CNG bike may not be launched pan-India, but in a phased manner instead.

India currently has a total number of 6,159 CNG stations, with Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka having the highest number of CNG pumps. These states have at least 1 CNG pump in every district, according to the latest December 2023 data from Vahan and the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas. However, this too is not a great number as compared to petrol pumps. Almost every other CNG station usually has long queues of cars and auto-rickshaws, so getting your CNG bike fueled up will also be a difficult task.

On March 5, 2024, the Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Hardeep S Puri, inaugurated 201 CNG stations across India. He also mentioned the government’s vision to increase the share of natural gas among the sources of primary energy (which includes coal, gas, air and more) from 6 percent to 15 percent. Adding to that, the government also intends to increase the CNG stations count to around 17,500 in India by 2030.

Bajaj has also contributed significantly to the growth of CNG vehicles in India. In 2000, Bajaj Auto Ltd. launched the world's first CNG three-wheeler, which has revolutionised the public transport sector. Now, 25 years later, 70 percent of passenger auto-rickshaws around the country are running on CNG, with 89 percent of them being from Bajaj (claimed), as the manufacturer has sold over 75 lakh units till date. 

What We Know About The Bajaj CNG Bike?

The Bajaj CNG Bike comes with a simple commuter design. It gets a round headlight, a braced handlebar, a long single-piece seat with a sleek grab rail, and a stubby exhaust. The bike is likely to get two fuel tanks. One will be the CNG tank, placed horizontally under the seat. The other could be a small petrol tank, which could be used as an alternate fuel source when the bike runs out of CNG. 

The Bajaj CNG bike is expected to have a 125cc engine, but it may deliver a performance equivalent to that of a 100-110cc bike as CNG is not as energy-dense as petrol and therefore, trades performance for better mileage. Moreover, CNG is cheaper than petrol, which also brings down the running cost of the bike.

Bajaj is known for pricing their bikes competitively and we think they will do the same with the CNG bike. The Bajaj CNG Bike is expected to be priced at around Rs 80,000 (ex-showroom) and here’s why we think so.