By IANS,
Chennai : The Hinduja group’s commercial vehicle manufacturer Ashok Leyland Ltd, in association with Australia’s Eden Energy, has developed a hythane-powered 92-KW engine, the company said Tuesday.
Hythane is a blend of natural gas and hydrogen (usually 20 percent hydrogen by volume).
Hydrogen, a renewable fuel, improves the efficiency of the engine, while retaining the low emission characteristics of compressed natural gas (CNG).
The company said it took two years to develop the six-cylinder, six-litre engine.
Ashok Leyland is also developing a four-cylinder, four-litre 63-KW engine for hythane-CNG blend through a joint research and development programme with the ministry of new and renewable energy and Indian Oil Corp, the company said.
The company is also in discussions with government agencies regarding making hythane available for commercial use in the future.
Ashok Leyland rolled out India’s first CNG bus in 1997 in Mumbai.
At present, over 5,500 Ashok Leyland CNG buses ply on the roads of Delhi, Ahmedabad, Vijayawada and Mumbai and also in certain overseas countries.