[dZired]

Car owners in Delhi will no longer be able to convert their cars to CNG by using the after-market conversion kits. The Delhi Government's transport department has banned retrofitting of CNG conversion kits in 'In-Use' cars, citing safety related reasons.

The State Transport Department has claimed that there are many CNG kits available in the markets which have not been approved or certified by designated authorities. These kits are risky to use, especially because of the fact that CNG is an extremely flammable fuel. As a result, in order to stop the use of such unsafe conversion kits available in the aftermarket, the government has instructed all Motor Licensing Officers (MLOs) to stop registration of vehicles that have been converted to CNG using retrofitted conversion kits.

The said ban will be in place till further orders from the Delhi Government.

Source: PTI

Link to Team-BHP News

[VeluM]

What about LPG kits, are they approved? As far as I remember CNG kits were approved in the past, so I don't see the reason to ban all kits rather than just the ones that are not approved.

CNG while being highly flammable is also lighter than air and therefore rises unlike heavier-than-air LPG, and disperses faster than LPG leading to less likelihood of CNG causing local fire unless the tank itself catches fire.

CNG is also stored at far higher pressures than LPG, requiring a much stronger tank to contain the required capacity of fuel.

On the whole CNG is a safer option from what I've heard, but would like to know if I'm misinformed.

[basubhatta]

It is an interim order. The law should take care that the kits are from approved manufacturers rather than banning it completely. Hope, the court will understand the advantages of CNG and will allow the conversion in its final order.

[ashutoshb]

Several vendors were fitting unauthorised cheap and unsafe kits and getting vehicles registered in Delhi. This, obviously, was happening, thanks to corrupt officals in the RTO.

What I have learnt, is that the ban is temporary and will be revoked once the Govt figures out what to do.

[deehunk]

Another funny decision by Delhi government, the root cause of safety issues is the sale and fitment of CNG and LPG kits like a pack of cookies, people who were doing it the right way will be hit hard by such an one-sided decision. One good thing about this decision however is our PM is not blamed for the leaks.

[Dry Ice]

I think Odd-Even 3 is coming (sorry, GoT fans)!!

The last odd even wasn't as big a success, thanks to the innumerable CNG conversions that happened, obviously to bypass the rule. All it took was 30-40k and some time/money at the RTO to get the RC endorsed. With this ban, they can keep the older petrols also off the road during odd-even. 10+ diesels are already banned. Some will still go ahead and get a new 'CNG' car, but as a % they will be miniscule.

[ksameer1234]

I can recollect a discussion with senior people at Tata Motors last week. On being asked that why aren't Tata cars offered in CNG versions, he told that Tata offers CNG conversion at showroom instead of selling CNG pre-fitted cars. This leads to savings in final price of cars in terms of taxes paid on ex-showroom prices.

In fact, he was happy to tell that this approach has been very successful in NCR region with dealers happily converting cars to CNG at their level. These decisions will certainly hit the after-market business and especially for those who have been going legal route.

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by basubhatta

It is an interim order. The law should take care that the kits are from approved manufacturers rather than banning it completely. Hope, the court will understand the advantages of CNG and will allow the conversion in its final order.

Advantage or not banning CNG conversions is as intelligent as banning engines about 2000cc. Yes, ensure that only kits from approved manufacturers are used, but such 'Nadirshahi' steps are counterproductive at best.

It seems they are totally unable to stop people from using domestic cylinders in cars.

[PrashantPahwa]

I can't help but think that Maruti has been lobbying in favour of this decision since only maruti has a healthy range of factory fitted CNG cars and capacity/know-how to do that on the rest of their portfolio. They have been really aggressive about SHVS equipped cars inclusion in ODD-EVEN and in a few weeks VAT was reduced on the same. This a third blow to the rest of manufacturers.
Any thoughts on what will happen to all the uber/ola cab drivers who were planning to switch to CNG cabs in delhi?

[amit_2025]

This will be a big blow especially to the cab drivers who might have purchased petrol vehicles with the intent of converting them to CNG
Also impacted will be the resale of low mileage petrol vehicles like the Honda Accord & CRV, which were anyway available at low prices, but the saving grace was potential CNG conversion

There is most definitely a Lobby at play here which is trying to promote the manufacturer sales of Petro/CNG vehicles

[VRPAI]

Not sure if I could comment on the topic as I am not from Delhi. But arent such loose decisions going to impact the common people of Delhi?. What about the people who are in the business who do everything legally?.
What about those people who bought used petrol cars and want to convert them to CNG as the government says it is probably the cleanest fuel?.

All such rules will do is make sure that the stakeholders dont invest anything as every single day a new rule comes instructing that from tomorow 'this and that' is banned.
Looking at the way the Delhi is being ruled I do feel a bit sad for the people there. No diesel cars,no this no that and what not.

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by VRPAI

But arent such loose decisions going to impact the common people of Delhi?. What about the people who are in the business who do everything legally?.
What about those people who bought used petrol cars and want to convert them to CNG as the government says it is probably the cleanest fuel?.

All such rules will do is make sure that the stakeholders dont invest anything as every single day a new rule comes instructing that from tomorow 'this and that' is banned.

More than that, it also makes us question the competence and basic intelligence of the powers that be. You are heavily promoting something today, using taxpayer's money. Tomorrow, you in your good sense decide to ban it. What is wrong with you? We have had a series of questionable orders on after the the for over 6 months now. Keep at it and the day is not far when people stop taking any of this seriously.

[landcruiser123]

What does a resident do with 5 year old petrol car meant as a city run-about? Not convert it to CNG?

If the government can't control a certain problem, they ban something they feel is causing the problem.

Can't control pollution? Ban diesel vehicles. Ban registration of vehicles above 2000cc Actual solution: Ensure PUC tests are conducted according to proper procedure. There'll be so many commercial vehicles which fail the test. Also, implement Euro 6 norms immediately. Almost all engines today can meet high emission norms if you add certain components. (eg. DPF)

Can't certify CNG kits and installers? Ban installation of CNG kits.

Can't regulate traffic? Implement odd-even rule. Actual solution: Have a good public transport with proper last mile connectivity. The heat in India makes it unbearable to walk a long distance.

The Government shouldn't talk about safety when most cars in India are deemed road-unworthy. An explosion is different from a crash though.

Where are we heading?

[VRPAI]

Until and unless they have a proper policy and follow it to the bit, everyone is going to suffer.

For a moment, forget the so called 'Big' companies and get to the normal common man. Would this common indian man invest in something that he is not sure about?. Until a few months back they were promoting CNG like hell, and there may be many traders,suppliers,vendors , distributors etc who may have invested a lot in this business hoping that they could make a livelihood out of this. Now with this new rule by the Delhi government what happens to all these investments?
Would someone in their right mind invest in something only to know that it's banned tomorrow?. This is probably the best way of de promoting 'Make In India'

Pretty stupid if you ask me.

[nik0502]

This is crazy,

I had got CNG fitted in my car recently and the endorsement is due as I was planning to get it done in a week or two. Now with this ban I am stuck and I am sure there will be thousand of people like me who will be stuck because of this. Now I don't think they will lift this ban very soon as they did not on Diesel cars above 2000 CC. And when they lift this ban I am certain the kits which we have got installed today will not be eligible for endorsement because of XYZ change in policy and approval. This is becoming really frustrating now. Completely agree with landcruiser123. Can't stop rape ban sunfilm, Can't stop pollution ban old cars, still can't control pollution, ban diesel cars, still can't control pollution even odd. What's the future ? Can't control corruption ban Police ?