Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: The primary reason why car owners switch to the Compressed Natural Gas or CNG fitted cars is for reducing fuel cost.
Here are some known and often-ignored facts of CNG cars that should help you in your decision of buying a CNG car:
Pros of buying a CNG car:
1) Environment friendly: CNG cars are less polluting.
2) Lower running cost: CNG costs lesser than petrol or diesel, but a car with factory-fitted CNG kit costs more than a petrol car. The economics of buying a CNG cars works out only if you travel more than 40 km everyday.
Cons of buying a CNG car:
1) Fitting a CNG kit into the car would cost about Rs 30,000 to Rs 35,000 and has to be endorsed by the RTO for legal usage.
2)The price of additionally fitted CNG kit will not be included in the car loan and, therefore, you will have to shell out extra money for the CNG kit.
3) If you convert your petrol car into a CNG car, you may loose the warranty on the car
4) CNG tanks take up too much space, limiting the size of the cabin and trunk, and their driving range is limited
5) Remember that CNG is available only in select cities, and filling stations spread out.
6) The cost of a factory-fitted CNG cars are higher than petrol cars. The higher the cost of the vehicle, the higher would be the premium for car insurance
7) Resale value of CNG cars is lesser than petrol cars
8)The performance and pick-up of the engine is slower than a petrol car
9) Not all petrol cars have mechanicals compatible with CNG fuel systems. Only those cars included in the ‘CNG Approved’ listing of the Registering Authority of the state or union territory under which the buyer’s car has been registered are eligible for conversion from petrol to CNG in that geographical area.
10) It has been proved over time that using a car which has been converted into CNG car has elements of risks attached and safety questioned.
