CNG run cabs for Bombay
Students and professors of the Indian Institute of Technology in Bombay test-ran the prototype of a car that runs on compressed natural gas (CNG). The Rs 5 million research project, which took six months to complete, was sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology. While Premier Automobiles provided the car, the Gas Authority of India Ltd chipped in with the gas. The research team has been successful in developing an induction system to overcome the known drawbacks of using CNG as fuel, such as lower flame velocity and higher ignition energy requirement.
Meanwhile, Bombay is abuzz with talk of CNG technology being introduced in the city's taxis. Concerned citizens are already protesting, arguing the technology is still too raw. Taxis, they contend, have the highest accident rate in Bombay and loading them with CNG may only add fuel to fire.