THE FLEXIBILITY WITH A BI-FUEL TRUCK

Going beyond the minuscule reserve petrol tanks found on CNG trucks, the Tata Intra V20 Bi-Fuel pickup is a breath of fresh fuel. Ashish Bhatia looks at the use case and proposed flexibility for fleet operators.

- Ashish Bhatia

The Tata V20 Intra Bi-Fuel pickup truck enhanced the Intra range and with it, the SCV-based pickup offerings from Tata Motors Ltd. The Intra range spans from the V10 to the latest generation V50 with a best-inclass power to weight ratio and different, rated payload options to choose from. Now RDE compliant, the V20, claimed to be India's first bi-fuel truck sits right in the middle of this proven range. The combination of petrol and CNG tanks is what makes the 2.27-tonne Gross Vehicular Weight (GVW) truck an attractive proposition for fleet operators, both small and large, including the owner cum drivers, willing to experiment. It created quite a stir when it was first showcased in Hyderabad, in September 2022. The SCV-based pickup solution is akin to offerings in global markets like Brazil and China compared to other pickup-dominated markets.

The value proposition is to aid the reduction of logistics costs (~14 per cent of GDP in India). The attempt is to hit the sweet spot and offer a low Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) with operational flexibility stemming from a bi-fuel platform. It is to also tap into the 3x headroom of growth in India compared to a global market scale that is 6x of M&HCVS as per Girish Wagh, Executive Director, Tata Motors Ltd.

THE OPERATOR APPEAL