[ferrarirules]

Voted No. Reason - Short Answer - EVs are much better at a similar price point

Long Answer - EVs are much better than CNG cars because
1. Better driving dynamics. Lag free driving. CNG cars are usually sluggish in performance.
2. Boot space is not restricted by the CNG cylinder
3. Long queues for CNG fill up and that too after every 200 odd kms. You can charge a EV at home at night when you sleep.
4. Cheaper running cost per km than a CNG car
5. Cheaper maintenance cost than a CNG car. People are saying CNG is even more expensive to maintain than Petrol cars.

I will say if somebody is still hell bent to by a CNG, they should look at Tata CNG cars as they have introduced AMT and dual cylinder tech which helps alleviate some of the above negatives.

[linuxworld]

I voted NO simply because CNG failed to satisfy my primary requirements. 1)Lack of performance 2) Compromise with boot space 3)15-20 mins of wait time for every gas refilling.

In my search for a new car in the next 3-4 months, I'm leaning towards an EV. This shift is because EVs offer superior performance, a smoother ride, and significantly lower operational costs.

I have often seen CNG Wagon Rs struggling in Khambatki ghat section on the Pune Bangalore highway. So, there is big NO for CNG's.

[narayans80]

If I were to buy a new car as a short haul runner, it would be a Tiago or Punch EV. I've been maintaining a daily mileage log since I got the Alcazar. The car is averaging a touch over 100 km/day. Out of the 640 odd days, 593 are under 240 km.

The biggest advantages I see for an EV are 1 Rs/km running cost over 3 odd for CNG and the advantage of home charging an EV. Those long lines at CNG pumps are a big turnoff

Originally Posted by Omkar

But consider this for a second - if you calculate the running cost for a Maruti Baleno petrol-only version in Mumbai, that would be around Rs. 5 per km (cost of petrol = Rs. 104.21 as of June 20, 2024).

This is a fundamentally incorrect assumption to begin with. I run a diesel car, the fuel running cost for S-Cross in 2022 was 4.3-4.7 Rs/km and Alcazar is averaging a touch over 5.1 Rs/km. My commute speeds are not slow and I also drive the car efficiently enough to get the most FE. The fuel price was 94.77 and 92.88 INR/liter during this period

There is no way a petrol car would average 5 Rs/km in conditions which are slower than mine.

Have done 2 trips with colleagues where there was a petrol car along (Tiago in one case and Ignis in another). Both times, the fuel cost was 6.2 to 6.5 Rs/km on highways with 3 to 4 people onboard, while I was getting around 5 Rs/km. Both cars were driven under same conditions, as they were driven about 200-500 meters apart for most part of the journey.

[Tech]

Voted Yes till the time the future fuel choice becomes stable.

Many people have saved at least 2 new car cost in 8-12 lakh range, fuel and maintenance inclusive over the coming years by using CNG cars since 2005 over their 15 -20 years of heavy usage. Currently their newer vehicles are free for them along with maintenance and fuel costs for upto 10 more years depending on how much they saved. Most of them can afford a second car also free of cost solely on the savings accrued due to using CNG over the past around 20 years. An 8 kmpl mileage vehicle easily returned 15-16 kmpl mileage in CNG as back as 2008 along with contribution to a greener environment.

The performance drop is not a big deal, you just have to get used to it.

It was not uncommon to spot even Honda Civic and Accord at CNG fuel stations.

CNG cars were the first "Hybrids" dual fuel tech, when they first arrived years back. Had they been marketed properly using fancy terms such as "Hybrids" as a cool tech, the adoption rate would have been much higher and if that happened maybe more R&D might have gone into it to reduce the pain points people are mentioning above. Govt increased the cost of CNG when they could have given more subsidies for a greener environment.

The range anxiety is 0 as you have a second fuel available any time. On highways a tank full of petrol and CNG will allow people to drive further by upto 250 km more, easily compared to an ICE car.

Within cities turbo petrols and EV power are useless, specially when there are speed limits of 50 and some cities have even used drones to track traffic rule violations specially speed.

However today the newer fuel technologies are expanding in research and development, which I truly appreciate. Personally I would like to see more advancements in regenerative power without the need for charging at stations.

Surprised many people are opting for EV in India inspite of few charging stations and the premium cost they pay over an ICE, which they may not be able to recover during its lifetime along with lesser boot space than an ICE, while world over specially US, the EV demand is going down and even some premium brands are reluctant to go head on in this direction.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/15/b...13.3%20percent.

https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/e...harts-7d3089c7

https://abcnews.go.com/Business/elec...y?id=105842727

https://www.reuters.com/business/aut...es-2023-10-25/

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/arti...e-in-2024.html

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/13/ev-e...ice-in-us.html

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money...p/71572499007/

https://www.coxautoinc.com/market-in...2024-ev-sales/

https://www.npr.org/2024/02/07/12277...les-sales-2024

https://www.goldmansachs.com/intelli...s-slowing.html

https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/...d-demand-wanes

https://www.washingtonpost.com/busin...-demand-slows/

https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=62063

https://www.reuters.com/business/aut...he-2023-07-11/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money...s/70411020007/

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/25/c...023/index.html

https://www.businessinsider.in/theli.../104591435.cms

https://www.forbes.com/sites/michael...s-have-slowed/

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article...ly-adopted-evs

https://fortune.com/2024/01/08/us-ev...-will-johnson/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterly...rts-predicted/

https://www.reuters.com/business/aut...wn-2024-01-30/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/busin...rket-cools-us/

[sebastian5ettel]

Voted NO.

The wait times at most CNG pumps are totally not worth the hassle, especially now that hybrids and EVs have become mainstream.

[xway]

Voted Yes.

Delhi NCR with the Diesel vehicle limitation of 10 years does not seem to have an alternative yet to this gap as most do not want to deprecate their vehicles when a lot of juice and life is still left.

CNG vehicles particularly by Maruti have evolved so much and new models provide good enough boot space too.

I know many who have a CNG Alto, Wagon R, Ertiga, XL6 and are driving them to the fullest at the cost of running a 2 wheeler almost extracting anywhere between 24 to 30kms a kg easily. CNG pumps till now are definitely more than EV charging points.

If you want a fuss free evolved vehicle with great mileage and economy CNG has been the perfect alternative to Diesel with no bans or restrictions during pollution times.

Seems it is here to stay, in fact if you see the EV adoption is fading worldwide. The range anxiety, reliability, resale value and life of the vehicle is still a big concern even now.

Not to mention all public transport, taxis are mandated by law here to operate on CNG.

[sumeethaldankar]

Voted no, while the idea behind the CNG is to save cost I can do so by car pooling, rides shares etc. These may not be exactly legal but saves the hassle of boring holes into your engine to install the CNG components etc. I have used a CNG car before and don't ever want to get another one ever again. The queues are too much to bear even though the running cost then was very tempting.

At some places where CNG pumps are abundant people may find it worthy but no so at my area where one has to park on the shoulder of the road next to a busy area hoping no one brushes against your vehicle while you wait in line. Also CNG means one more extra garage to visit along with your cars regular service centre/garage. Just not for me anymore.

[strong_as_tata]

The main reasons for going for a CNG vehicle is the reduced running cost and availability. I stay in Delhi NCR and own a 2022 Tigor CNG and have hit 71k+ on the odo as on date. Never have I ever had to wait for more than 15 minutes for a refill and the car gives me a mileage beyond belief- 35km per kg on the Delhi-Chandigarh highway when staying within the speed limits, which is way higher than any other fuel could. In the city the least mileage has been 25km per kg as compared to the 12 kmpl on petrol. The availability of CNG within 250 kms radius of Delhi gives an enhanced range as well.
Hatchbacks have the issue of boot but manufacturers are now finding innovative ways for effective boot management. The design of the my Tigor boot gives ample space for luggage of two persons for 4 days.

[YK85]

Originally Posted by Omkar

A. You buy a CNG car to enjoy the lower cost of fuel but live with the other drawbacks of owning a CNG car.

B. You buy a regular petrol car and pay for the higher cost of fuel, but don’t have to worry much about anything else.
[/b]

Definitely against CNG cars. The killing factor is the long queues at many CNG filling stations coupled with the frequent refueling required and even the time taken to fill the tank all of which adds up to a significant waste of time.
And of course, the fact that CNG cars give zero driving pleasure is the major reason any enthusiast would never choose one.

[Tech]

CNG owners have saved enough to buy 2 cars from their 15 + years of heavy usage and savings since the times when price of CNG was Rs. 16 and petrol was Rs. 40 which is 2.5 times less with double mileage. They don't bother driving on petrol when CNG level is nearing 0. Who says they refuel immediately ?

Today's cars have good driving pleasure in CNG also and difference is sometimes just 18:20 or even less, when the car is well serviced or it is new. 0 to 50 in cities is possible under 7 seconds, you don't have to always race against others to justify the performance.

If somebody loves a turbo petrol then he won't like it if he drives a jet, and a jet driver won't enjoy his jet if he drives a space shuttle. So CNG Performance is still much better in some cars than some dull naturally aspirated petrol cars. However 4 people with luggage and ac on does affect, but they can always switch to petrol, because it's a hybrid car and does not only drives on CNG.

Long queues are the problem of the local authorities not creating more stations and its not the fault of the owner. In most places at NCR at odd times there are no queues and you are the first person to get a refill. At other times 10 - 15 minutes is the max. If there are long queues for somebody in their nearby places, then it's not the correct choice for them. There should be a separate line for private cars like they have for autos and mini trucks, it's simply a policy change, once they implement it then the waiting time can be significantly reduced.

And long queues don't mean there is only one pump and everybody is waiting 1 by 1. Once they enter then there are at least 10 to 16 different pumps. And 10 cars immediately get refuelled.

Once EV prices come down significantly, then all taxi drivers will switch to EV to maximise their profits. And for somebody who does not want a one fuel car or has range anxiety or hates the recharge time of EVs then hybrids like CNG make more sense economically as well as environmentally also.

There are many people who are not sitting to buy petrol to make the Arabs richer.