Bajaj could be planning to introduce a new Ethanol powered motorcycle in the Indian market. Bajaj Auto recently launched the world’s first CNG-powered motorcycle, the Freedom 125 in the Indian market. And building on its success that company could be planning to introduce an Ethanol powered bike in India as soon as September 2024. Mr Rajiv Bajaj, the Chairman and Managing Director of Bajaj Auto also revealed to the media that the new Ethanol-powered motorcycle will be introduced next year with its launch in the next fiscal. He also revealed that other players in the business are also likely to unveil their products this year.
At the Bharat Mobility Expo 2024, Bajaj Auto unveiled the Pulsar NS160 and the Dominar 400 in their Flex Fuel avatar. This means that the popular Bajaj bikes could run on both ethanol and petrol, or a 27.5% ethanol-gasoline blend. However, the brand did not further reveal when the flex fuel motorcycles will be launched in India. But Bajaj Auto supports the government’s initiatives on ethanol-blended and ethanol fuels, and also aims to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels, hence the CNG-powered Freedom 125. However, we are not sure if the Ethanol-powered motorcycle will be a completely new product or a reengineered version of the Pulsar or Dominar range. However, the corrosive nature of Ethanol means the brand will either have to develop a completely new product or heavily re-engineer one of their engine to run on Ethanol blends.
TVS Motor Company has also been working on the Apache RTR 200 4V which can run E100. This means that the motorcycle can run on 100% Ethanol. However, the brand has not revealed if it will be launching the E100 Apache in India anytime soon. Even Royal Enfield showcased its Flex Fuel concept motorcycle, naming it “Classic Flex” at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2024, but it can run an Ethanol-Gasoline blend of 85%.
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