[CARDEEP]

IAB have reported sighting of the Nano CNG on Mumbai Pune Expresway. Here is their report on the same:

http://indianautosblog.com/2013/01/t...ng-spied-61622

The expected launch date of the car is around Mid-2013.

[msaudf]

The Tata Nano with an alternative fuel will be a great input by Tata motors for the Indian market.
Incidents or cars catching fire like Maverick79 ponted out were due to improper handling of the wiring and unauthorized extra fitment.
I own a nano CX and that too a first gen model which was prone to catching fire, but while purchasing the car the salesman requested that i fit the stereo at the service centre and they'd fit it for free and i had the liberty to buy the head unit from anywhere. As for the fire accidents it was mostly caused by faulty starter motors also which was replaced by recalling all the nanos sold by Tata motors for FREE.
Fire accidents like these even caused some BMW's to catch fire not only in India but also in Spain.
The Nano is a perfectly safe car and a perfect car for my city rides and occasional drives to the hills where is takes on the twists and turns with a smile. Not that its a great handler, but if there was lesser body roll, then it would be a great handler.
So, a CNG/LPG version of the Nano will be a great addition to the Tata passenger car fleet.

[zenren]

As per the article, the CNG tank was placed below the front seats for the car displayed in Auto Expo. Doesn't the bonnet area of Nano have enough space to accomodate a CNG tank?

[CARDEEP]

Originally Posted by zenren

As per the article, the CNG tank was placed below the front seats for the car displayed in Auto Expo. Doesn't the bonnet area of Nano have enough space to accomodate a CNG tank?

The bonnet houses the spare tyre & steering fluid container. The boot has to be openable to access the engine for servicing. Thus, the space under the front seats is only viable option for half sized (35 kg CNG tank).

I am rubbing my hands in glee, & may opt for the car around festive season, till we move to own house with covered parking space for 2 cars.

[CARDEEP]

Originally Posted by CARDEEP

The bonnet houses the spare tyre & steering fluid container. The boot has to be openable to access the engine for servicing. Thus, the space under the front seats is only viable option for half sized (35 kg CNG tank).

I am rubbing my hands in glee, & may opt for the car around festive season, till we move to own house with covered parking space for 2 cars.

More pics of the CNGed Nano courtesy Motoroids:

http://motoroids.com/news/tata-nano-...d-rear-bumper/

[zenren]

Originally Posted by CARDEEP

More pics of the CNGed Nano courtesy Motoroids:

http://motoroids.com/news/tata-nano-...d-rear-bumper/

The article seems to mention tank capacity as under-20L. With the kind of wait that CNG stations usually see, it could be frustrating for owners to keep visiting the filling station frequently. Waiting in the queue could be more frustrating than the actual filling time.

Would that yellow horizontal strip be covering a key hole under it for a hatch door? The redesigned rear bumper seems to have enough space on top to slide the fingers to lift the hatch door.

[CARDEEP]

Originally Posted by zenren

The article seems to mention tank capacity as under-20L. With the kind of wait that CNG stations usually see, it could be frustrating for owners to keep visiting the filling station frequently. Waiting in the queue could be more frustrating than the actual filling time.

Would that yellow horizontal strip be covering a key hole under it for a hatch door? The redesigned rear bumper seems to have enough space on top to slide the fingers to lift the hatch door.

A 20L tank means it is good enough for 4-5 kgs CNG only (because of volume of CNG). It would only mean half the filling time as normal sized car tank. I know the wait is worse in Hyderabad, but in places like NCR, Gujarat, Mumbai, etc it is much better because of the infrastructure already being there for quite few years. But, I believe 20L could be much lesser than what Tata had projected at the time of Auto Expo (35L tank, i.e. 7-8 kgs CNG capacity IMO).

For 4-5 kgs CNG, the Nano should manage 120-150 kms in City much easily & around 175-200 kms on the highway.

[svsantosh]

My nano had a ABS, somehow it was called AC, but for sure it slowed down my car at a very steady pace without locking up the wheels. This must be the 2013 nano with EBD, err wait, ESP may be? At least the owners can the claim they too burnt out the clutch like the R8 and eventually burnt the whole car.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by CARDEEP

A 20L tank means it is good enough for 4-5 kgs CNG only (because of volume of CNG).

A 60 litre tank holds around 8-9 kg. I have no idea if it's linear scale, but if it is, then a 20L one should hold 2.5-3 kgs of CNG.

[CARDEEP]

Originally Posted by carboy

A 60 litre tank holds around 8-9 kg. I have no idea if it's linear scale, but if it is, then a 20L one should hold 2.5-3 kgs of CNG.

I have managed to get CNG refills of 10+ kgs in my 60 kgs tank... a lot depends on the pressure at pump & time of day when you go for refuel. My estimates are more based on own experience. I bet the tank would be similar to that of auto-rickshaws & max CNG refueled similar in quantity, which is around Rs.150 in most cases.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by CARDEEP

I have managed to get CNG refills of 10+ kgs in my 60 kgs tank

Same here - but it's the exception rather than the rule.

[sushantr5]

Originally Posted by carboy

Same here - but it's the exception rather than the rule.

If I am not wrong, instead of 60kgs it is 60 liters, volume of CNG tank. 60 liters tank holds around 10kgs of CNG and variation depends on pressure at fuel station.

According to AutoExpo demo model CNG capacity of tank in Nano will be 35 liters which will hold around 5 kgs of CNG. Range will be around 150 kms

And if Tata launch LPG nano with same 35 liter capacity tank which will hold 35 liters of LPG and range will be around 700 kms.

For comparison purpose,
domestic LPG cylinder contains 14kgs of LPG which is equivalent to 26 liters approximately.

CNG mileage is measured in kilometers per kg and LPG mileage is measured in kilometers per liter.


And,

Instead of CNG, LPG nano will get it some numbers as LPG pumps are available at least at Taluka levels. CNG Nano will get few extra numbers as CNG is available in select metros.
If you compare running costs of all fuels(based on assumption about mileage)

1) CNG: Rs.40 per kg
City mileage 30kms/kg
Running cost: Rs.1.4 per km approx

2) LPG: Rs. 55 per liter
City Mileage 18kms/liter
Running Cost: Rs.3 per km

3) Diesel: Rs.53 per liter
City Mileage 22 kms/liter
Running Cost: Rs.2.5 per km

4) Petrol: Rs.75 per liter
City Mileage 18kms/liter
Running Cost: Rs.4.3 per km

[CARDEEP]

IAB have uploaded recent sighting of the CNG Nano being refueled (refer below link for details):

http://indianautosblog.com/2013/02/s...efilling-64167

This report also confirms (through sources) that a 35 litres CNG tank will be placed under the front passenger seat.

[JayPrashanth]

Link to News Section

Tata Motors has launched the CNG powered version of the Nano in India. The car has been launched in two variants: CX and LX. The CX variant of the car is priced at 2.45 lakh rupees while the LX variant is priced at 2.72 lakh rupees, ex-showroom Ahmedabad. The CNG powered version of the Nano is called the emax and the car features the petrol-CNG dual fuel option. The engine of the Nano CNG is the same 624 cc, twin cylinder unit that outputs 38 PS of peak power and 51 Nm of peak torque. This engine, adapted to run on CNG, outputs 33 PS-45 Nm. The gearbox remains a 4 speed manual unit.



To avoid intruding into the limited boot space of the Nano, engineers from Tata Motors have packaged the CNG tanks of the Nano under the front seats of the car. The Nano CNG emax's twin tanks will hold about 16 liters of CNG each, giving the Nano a range of about 150 kms on a full tank of CNG. Tata Motors claims a mileage of 36 Kms/Kg of CNG, while the tail pipe emissions, at 75.6 grams of CO2/Km, make the Nano the least emitting car in India. The 15 liter petrol tank of the Nano is retained as it is, giving the car a 375 kilometer claimed range. With petrol and CNG together, the Nano will have an effective range of 525 kilometers.





The Tata Nano CNG emax will be sold in select markets of India, including Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat and parts of Uttar Pradesh. The car's factory fitted CNG kit comes with the following features:

• Sequential CNG injection
• Advanced engine management system with automatic sensors that seamlessly shift to petrol power from CNG, when the demand for more power arises.
• Push-button type fuel selector system to switch between petrol and CNG modes
• Manual shut-off valve to stop supply of CNG
• Fire extinguisher fitted as standard on all Nano emax variants
• Leak detection sensor
• Interlock sensor that prevents CNG leakage during fueling

In CNG emax guise, both the CX and LX variants of the Nano do not get a mobile charger outlet. The CX variant gets a black coloured dashboard while the LX variant gets a beige colour finish for its dashboard. The instrumentation cluster sees a revision on the Nano CNG emax. The 4 years/60,000 kilometers warranty is standard on the Nano emax.

[srishiva]

Not so informed about CNG, isn't the pressure a big thing? How would having a fire extinguisher help when you sit on a pressurized tank?