New Delhi (India), 12th March 2023: On March 12, Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, will reveal Bengaluru’s first methanol-powered buses.
According to AV Surya Sen, head of information technology for the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), a pilot programme for MD15 (diesel with 15% methanol) buses will begin at 5:30 pm from Vidhana Soudha.
According to him, the initiative is being carried out by BMTC, NITI Aayog, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), and Ashok Leyland. “This will ultimately cause emission levels to drop significantly.”
According to a top official, BMTC intends to introduce 80 methanol-powered buses for the pilot project. Out of them, 20 Ashok Leyland buses will be introduced in the first step, and once other bus manufacturers enter into agreements with NITI Aayog, they will be added as well. IOC will offer the pilot initiative free diesel and methanol for three months.
At the event, an M100 (100 percent methanol) truck prototype will also be revealed. Natural gas, coal, municipal refuse, and biomass can all be used to make methanol.
Niri Ayog wrote in a document, “The concept of ‘Methanol Economy’ is being actively pursued by China, Italy, Sweden, Israel, the US, Australia, Japan and many other European countries. 10 percent of fuel in China in the transport sector is Methanol.”
