Maruti working on a cow dung solution to make cars less polluting

“To provide a full range of products and services, Suzuki will provide not only battery EVs but also carbon neutral internal combustion engine vehicles that use CNG, biogas, and ethanol mixed fuels,” Japanese auto major said in a global presentation ‘growth strategy for 2030’.

“Suzuki’s unique initiative to tackle this challenge is the biogas business, in which biogas derived from cow dungs, which are dairy wastes that can be seen mainly in India’s rural areas, will be produced and supplied. This biogas can be used for Suzuki’s CNG models that account for approximately 70% of CNG car market in India,” the auto major said.

Suzuki has an ambitious plan to not only develop CNG automotive solutions around biogas in India, but also plans to export the business to other farming regions, including Africa, Asean, and Japan in the future.

“We believe that the biogas business in India not only contributes to carbon neutrality, but also promotes economic growth and contributes to the society of India,” the company said.

Last year, the Japanese automaker signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to start a biogas demonstration project. This was followed by a tripartite MoU between NDDB, SMC and Banas Dairy, a division of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, to commercially produce biogas by mid-2024.

The company has also invested in Fujisan Asagiri Biomass which produces power from biogas derived from cow dung in Japan.As part of its effort to produce cleaner cars, Maruti Suzuki plans to roll out its first electric vehicle in the next financial year. The company plans to launch one electric car every year till 2030.