Bajaj Auto strikes 'Tiger Zinda Hai' note as first CNG bike hits the road

Twenty-five years ago, when Bajaj Auto launched India's first CNG three-wheeler, Managing Director Rajiv Bajaj received a peculiar call from his Delhi team-a group of autorickshaw drivers had shattered the glass facades of a showroom of the company.

- SOHINI DAS

"I was taken aback," Bajaj recalled, "I thought the CNG autorickshaw offered a great value proposition."

The drivers, however, were frustrated. "At that time, there was only one CNG fuel pump in Delhi and they had to wait for 10-12 hours in queues to fuel their vehicles, which effectively,negated the savings they made," Bajaj recollected on Friday-the day when Bajaj Auto unveiled the world's first CNG motorcycle, the Freedom 125, with three variants, seven colours, and ex-showroom prices ranging from 95,000 to 1.1 lakh.

Now, the CNG landscape has dramatically changed. India now boasts 6,000 CNG fuel stations across 335 cities, and this number continues to grow.

Bajaj hailed the Freedom 125 as a "gamechanger", offering "freedom from petrol imports, harmful emissions, skyrocketing petrol prices, range anxiety, and the struggle to find charging stations." Avisibly emotional Bajaj, launching what could be the company's 100th product in his 34year career, said: "I miss my father deeply today." Perfecting the technology took Bajaj Auto two and a half years. The Freedom 125 allows commuters to switch seamlessly between CNG and petrol at the click of a button, even while riding.

This bike, the company said, promises 50 per cent cost savings by reducing fuel expenses compared to petrol motorcycles. The CNG tank provides a range of over 200 km on 2 kg of CNG, while the 2-litre petrol tank offers an additional 130 km, culminating in a total range of 330 km for a full tank, said the two-wheeler major.