Bajaj CNG Bike Launch Tomorrow: Our Analysis Of Expected Price And Mileage Of The World’s First CNG Bike

The bike comes with two fuel tanks: a primary CNG tank, placed under the seat and a secondary petrol tank, which can be used in case the bike runs out of CNG

Update: The Bajaj Freedom 125 CNG Bike has been launched in India at Rs 95,000 (ex-showroom)

Quick News Highlights: 

- Gets a redesigned left-side switchgear with a button to switch between petrol & CNG.
- Likely to be priced at around Rs 80,000 (ex-showroom).
- Rivals other 100-110cc bikes like the Hero Splendor Plus, TVS Radeon, Honda Shine 100 & Bajaj Platina 110.

Bajaj is all set to launch the world’s first CNG bike on 5th July 2024. With the whole world watching the launch event, it will also be attended by Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways of India. 

We think that the Bajaj CNG bike may not be launched all over India at once. Instead, it might be introduced in phases due to the limited CNG pump networks across India, with many cities and states still lacking the necessary infrastructure. Moreover, the government is also planning to increase the number of CNG stations in India from the current 6,159 to 17,500 pumps by 2030.

Bajaj CNG Bike: Expected Price

We expect the Bajaj CNG Bike to be priced at around Rs 80,000 (ex-showroom), positioning it competitively against the Honda Shine 125, priced at Rs 79,800 (ex-showroom Delhi). Bajaj always aggressive pricing, as seen with the Bajaj Pulsar NS400Z launch, supports pricing the CNG bike at around Rs 80,000.

Pricing the CNG bike higher, around Rs 90,000 or Rs 1 lakh (ex-showroom), may not make sense, considering the presence of premium 125cc bikes like the TVS Raider 125 and Hero Xtreme 125R are also available in a similar range.

What We Know So Far?

The upcoming Bajaj CNG Bike comes with a simple commuter design. It has a long single-piece seat that overlaps the fuel tank and houses the CNG tank under it. At the front, it has a round headlight, indicators and a braced handlebar. At the rear, the slim tail section has a sleek single-piece grab-rail, a stubby upswept exhaust, a tyre hugger, and a saree guard. The CNG bike may get two variants, with the other one to be more rugged one with knuckle guards and fork covers.

Expected to be equipped with a 125cc engine, the Bajaj CNG bike may produce similar performance as a 100-110cc bike. This is because CNG is not as energy-dense as petrol and trades some performance. Moreover, CNG is cheaper as compared to petrol and reduces the bike’s running cost too. In an Interview, Rajiv Bajaj also claimed that the CNG bike will almost half the running costs as compared to the petrol-powered bikes. The CNG bike comes with two fuel tanks: one is the primary CNG tank while the other is a small petrol tank, which can be used when the bike runs out of CNG.

Featurewise, the upcoming Bajaj CNG bike is likely to have an LCD instrument console. It also gets a redesigned left-side switchgear with a blue button to switch between CNG and Petrol. Below the CNG/Petrol button there is the indicator switch and beside it is a round switch that seems to be the horn. It is likely to get an LED headlight and indicators as well.

The bike gets a telescopic fork with fork gaiters and a rear monoshock. For braking, the bike has drum brakes on both ends, one of the variants might also get an optional front disc brake.

The Bajaj CNG Bike will compete against the 100-110cc commuter bikes like the Hero Splendor Plus, TVS Radeon, Honda Shine 100, and Bajaj Platina 110. Moreover, the official website for the Bajaj CNG bike is also live now, with a registration link to receive WhatsApp updates about the CNG bike’s launch.