Bajaj Freedom 125 CNG Bike: Mileage, Running Costs & Everyday Liveability

Bajaj claims that the CNG bike has a mileage of 102km per kg from the CNG tank and a mileage of 65kmpl from the petrol tank, which results in a combined range of 330km

Bajaj Auto has just launched the Bajaj Freedom 125 at prices starting from Rs 95,000 (ex-showroom). It is the world’s first CNG bike and gets a CNG cylinder with a capacity of 2kg along with a petrol tank which has a capacity of 2 litres. Powering it is a 125cc air-cooled single-cylinder engine producing 9.5PS and 9.7Nm. 

Being a CNG bike, it promises low running costs and great mileage. But since we know the claimed mileage and range of the bike, here’s our analysis:

Bajaj Freedom 125 CNG Bike Mileage And Running Costs

Bajaj Auto has claimed that the Bajaj Freedom 125’s CNG tank has a mileage of 102km per kg and the petrol tank has a mileage of 65kmpl. With the CNG and petrol tank’s capacities being 2kg and 2 litres respectively, the Freedom 125 has a combined claimed range of 330km. But it is important to note that the petrol tank will mainly be used as a reserve unit in case of emergencies like when the CNG tank is empty. So, from a realistic point of view, the bike’s usable CNG-only range comes down to about 200km. 

Regarding the running costs, with the CNG tank having a claimed mileage of 102km per kg and the average price of CNG per kg in Maharashtra being 79.46 per kg, the cost per kilometre in CNG-only mode will be about Rs 0.78. Let’s say, on an average, you need to travel 1000km monthly on your two-wheeler, then it will cost you Rs 780 in fuel per month with the Freedom 125. 

The average cost of petrol in Maharashtra is Rs 105 per litre. And a 125cc petrol-powered bike, like the Hero Xtreme 125R, has an average, real-world tested mileage of 71.6kmpl. So the running cost of that bike will be Rs 1.46 per kilometre, which is Rs 0.68 more than that of the Freedom 125. So, if you travel 1000km on a monthly basis, then with the Xtreme 125R, you would have to spend Rs 1,460 every month on petrol. 

Bajaj Freedom 125 Everyday Liveability

If you have a 125cc petrol-powered bike, on an average, you can travel for about 550-600km on a full tank before you’d need to fill up again. With the Freedom 125 CNG bike, you’ll need to head to a CNG pump after every 200km. Also, we all know about the very long queues seen outside CNG pumps and the long waiting time one has to endure to get their vehicle refuelled. So, with the current infrastructure, the decision to own a CNG bike will depend on whether you are okay with the long waiting time outside the pumps or you would rather spend more money on a daily basis because of the convenience provided by the petrol pump infrastructure. But, over the years, with more and more people buying CNG bikes and a much wider network of CNG pumps across the country, the waiting durations are expected to be cut down, making it much easier to live with a CNG bike on an everyday basis.