PUNE As the rising cost of petrol has been burning a hole in the pockets of car owners, garages in the city are reporting an increased inflow of vehicles for conversion to CNG.
Mandar Date from Date Automobiles on DP road (near Mhatre bridge), said that 25-30 petrol cars are being converted into CNG at his garage every month.
According to Date, this number almost doubled ever since petrol has crossed the ₹90 per litre mark.
“Earlier we used to convert 10-15 cars in a month into CNG, but now, the number has gone up to 25-30 per month. Also, we have been receiving many enquiries related to this. Those who have to travel a fixed distance every day, prefer CNG as it is more affordable,” said Date.
According to mechanics, only petrol cars can be converted into CNG and the procedure costs between ₹40,000 and ₹50,000, depending on the model.
Akash Gadre, who runs Mahalaxmi Auto, a garage in Balajinagar, said that people from neighbouring districts are also coming into the city to get their cars converted. “I used to get five-six cars to be converted into CNG in a month. Now the number has gone up to 10-15. Car owners not only from the city, but also from other districts such as Satara, Nashik, and Ahmednagar, where CNG pumps are getting operational, are getting their cars converted. I have received customers from these areas. The procedure costs a lot, but car owners are left with no option as petrol prices have been increasing continuously,” said Gadre.
{{/usCountry}}Akash Gadre, who runs Mahalaxmi Auto, a garage in Balajinagar, said that people from neighbouring districts are also coming into the city to get their cars converted. “I used to get five-six cars to be converted into CNG in a month. Now the number has gone up to 10-15. Car owners not only from the city, but also from other districts such as Satara, Nashik, and Ahmednagar, where CNG pumps are getting operational, are getting their cars converted. I have received customers from these areas. The procedure costs a lot, but car owners are left with no option as petrol prices have been increasing continuously,” said Gadre.
{{/usCountry}}“I converted my car two months ago, because of the high petrol prices. CNG gives better mileage and now CNG pumps have been constructed on main highways, so refilling is not an issue,” said Sunil Pote, a car owner who converted his vehicle to CNG.
Car owners have to inform the Regional Transport Office (RTO) if a vehicle has been converted into CNG. Sanjay Sasane, deputy regional transport officer, Pune, accepted that a slight increase has been observed. “We will publish the guidelines related to such conversions and the approval process soon,” said Sanjay Sasane.
“In pre-Covid times approximately 350 vehicles used to get converted into CNG collectively from Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, and rural parts. Now, gradually the number has increased up to 600 per month. It is essential to follow the safety norms while converting the vehicle,” said Sasane
“First of all, it should be an RTO-authorised workshop. Check the manufacturing date of the CNG cylinder. It should be the latest. The CNG kit which is to be fitted in the car should have the approval of the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and the International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT). Also, ensure that you get the GST bill from the workshop. Once the vehicle is converted the passing is done by RTO. You have to inform the insurance company as well about the conversion,” said Vivek Dhirange, head of Green Globe Fuel Solutions.