CNG is cheap, returns excellent fuel efficiency and is way less harmful for the environment than petrol or diesel. So why it’s restrict to very few models in India? And why is can’t yet be had with an automatic transmission?
CNG cars are more suitable for running in cities due to the easy availability of CNG in cities, and it is in cities that you would want the convenience of an automatic transmission.
So why Indian carmakers haven’t offer a two-pedal setup with CNG till now? Lets try to understand.
Complex Job Tuning A Car For CNG And Automatic Transmissions
Automatic transmissions require a number of extra sensors to work.
As it shifts from one gear to another depending on data, such as RPMs, engine load, speed, angle of the car, from these sensors.
When you bring CNG into the mix, things change.
The engine makes less power and torque on CNG compared to petrol.
The data from all these sensors will need to be re-tune to be compatible with CNG.
This requires extensive testing, and is only feasible if carmakers were sure of volumes of such models.
This brings us to our next point.
High Price
CNG kits from the factory are Rs 80,000 to Rs 90,000 more expensive than regular petrol models, and automatic transmissions cost at least Rs 1 lakh more than their manual counterparts.
That means CNG cars with automatic transmissions would be around Rs 2 lakh more expensive than regular petrol-manual cars.
Driving Dynamics
It will still be a headache for carmakers looking to homologate CNG-automatic cars.
Automatic transmissions are heavier than their manual counterparts.
A CNG kit also adds weight to the car.
CNG Kit In An Automatic Car?
We came out to both Maruti and Hyundai, the two carmakers that currently offer a CNG kit from the factory in India.
There are aftermarket companies that install CNG kits on automatic cars.
You do need to know a couple of things before you take the decision :
- Converting your automatic car or any car for that matter into a CNG vehicle will void its manufacturer warranty.
- Do this only if your vehicle isn’t covered by it anymore.
- Many aftermarket companies don’t have the same level of R&D as big carmakers, and the results might not be as good.
- You could end up damaging the engine of your car, and your transmission as well.
THANK YOU FOR READING.