Greenfuel Energy Solutions designs CNG injection system for LCVs, 3Ws

Greenfuel Energy Solutions (GES), a Manesar-based company set up in 2006, has designed an injection system suitable for compressed natural gas (CNG) and will come as a fitment for the small (1-2 cylinder) engines.

Akshay Kashyap, managing director, GES, told Autocar Professional that “the gas injection system is to be manufactured in Italy based on our design and will be imported back in India. Though the prototypes are ready, the complete kits are yet to be developed and approved as the engineers are working on the areas of electronics, engine calibration and emission checks. We plan to start scheduling the demonstrations to the OEMs within five months from now.” GES aims to make deeper inroads into the LCV and 3-wheeler (3W) segment through its concept.

The engineers at GES have designed the CNG injection system specifically for Indian conditions by combining many crucial components together to form one unit, thereby discarding the replaceable components, reducing the costs, weight and boosting the performance. These injection systems will be manufactured by Rail SpA of Italy, which specialises in manufacturing components used in CNG/LPG kits. “While all assembly will be done in Italy and imported in India in the initial years, we plan to assemble these systems locally only when volumes would justify the costs involved. For importing them, we will have to pay custom duties of 7.5 percent,” says Kashyap. Eyeing the aftermarket Kashyap estimates the market size of CNG kits in India to be around Rs 250 crore (excluding the costs of CNG cylinders), of which nearly Rs 150 crore comes from the aftermarket.

“Aftermarket estimations are always hazy due to unorganised operations. In the OEM space, we occupy nearly 50 percent of all supplies of CNG kits, related components and services,” he said. Growing by 15-20 percent YoY, GES’ turnover will be nearly Rs 51.5 crore (FY13). “We are planning to achieve Rs 60 crore by end- FY14. We expect growth from the bus segment in FY14, powered by JNNURM II. We also plan to foray into the aftermarket segment by May 2013 in Delhi, Maharashtra and Gujarat and have identified 30 dealerships across the three states,” adds Kashyap. GES specialises in assembling the CNG/LPG kits at its facility in Manesar as it imports and supplies the associated components such as filters, tubes, pressure gauges, nozzles, cylinder valves, injectors, pressure transducers and others.

The company targets being an organised player with a pan-India distributor-dealership setup and aims at providing complete training to dealers and workers on standardised installation and servicing processes (of the CNG/LPG kits). It plans to sell the aftermarket-specific products under the ‘Sicuro’ brand name.

GES is a big supplier of CNG kits to Indian OEMs. Maruti Suzuki is its single biggest customer, followed by Tata Motors (for its low-floor Tata Marcopolo buses in Delhi and Mumbai). GES also supplies to Hyundai and M&M as a Tier 2 supplier.

AMIT PANDAY