Source: Cycle World
The world’s first CNG-powered motorcycle is the Bajaj Freedom 125. (Bajaj/)Back in April we revealed patents giving details of the world’s first production motorcycle to be powered by compressed natural gas. Now it’s been launched as the Bajaj Freedom 125 and the company is promising a huge reduction in running costs and emissions compared to similarly sized gasoline-powered machines.Compressed natural gas, or CNG, is mainly composed of methane and can be sourced either as a fossil fuel from the ground or made as a biogas from waste, and even when burned in fossil-fuel form it generates far less CO2 than gasoline. The combustion process alone produces around a quarter less CO2, as well as huge reductions in unburned hydrocarbon and NOx emission. Bio-CNG is greener still, leading to an overall carbon footprint around 85 percent lower than conventional liquid fossil fuel.Bajaj’s Freedom 125. (Bajaj/)In India, CNG is already being widely adopted for trucks and Bajaj already offers CNG-powered versions of its range of three-wheeled auto rickshaws. As one of the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturers, adopting the same technology on two wheels was the next logical step.While CNG can be used by conventional gasoline combustion engines with a few modifications, Bajaj has developed the Freedom 125 from a clean sheet to be CNG-powered. The engine wasn’t the difficult part. While it’s purpose-made to run on CNG it also features an auxiliary gasoline tank to make sure riders aren’t stranded in areas where CNG isn’t widely available yet. Creating a bike with two separate fuel systems—one based around a high-pressure gas cylinder—meant rethinking the chassis and mechanical layout.Not only does the Freedom 125 have a 12-liter CNG tank, but it also has a half-gallon gasoline tank as a backup. (Bajaj/)The 12-liter CNG cylinder carries 4.4 pounds of CNG when it’s filled at a pressure of around 3,000 psi, enough for a range of around 125 miles before the gas runs out. Roughly the shape and size of a scuba tank, it sits lengthways in the frame and runs from just behind the steering head all the way under the rider’s seat. The small, half-gallon gasoline tank adds another 80 miles of range and wraps around the front right of the CNG cylinder, while the engine’s airbox is sculpted to fit around the front left of it, creating a shape like a conventional fuel tank. The engine, meanwhile, is angled with its single cylinder nearly horizontal to make space for the CNG tank above it. The result is a compact machine with a 52.7-inch wheelbase but a slightly taller-than-average 32.5-inch seat height. At 329 pounds it’s around 40 pounds heavier than a conventional, gasoline-only bike of a similar size and performance.Since riders might be understandably wary of wrapping their legs around a cylinder filled with flammable gas at 3,000 psi, Bajaj has put substantial effort into protecting the CNG tank. The bike’s frame is a steel trellis design, creating a strong cage around the cylinder, and the company went to the unusual lengths of subjecting the bike to a barrage of crash tests including frontal and side impacts, and drop tests, even going to the extent of running over a prototype with a 10-ton truck, to make sure the CNG tank wouldn’t rupture and its gas valve remained firmly attached.The Freedom 125’s dash. (Bajaj/)The risk of explosion is low, then. With around 9.5 hp and 7.2 lb.-ft. of torque, the bike isn’t a fireball in performance terms either and pretty much on a par with similarly sized, air-cooled singles powered by gasoline. For the Indian market where the bike is targeted, that’s enough to be competitive, and while the Freedom 125 costs a little more than a gasoline-powered bike up front, Bajaj says running costs can be up to 50 percent lower than a normal internal combustion motorcycle thanks to the lower price of CNG. The Freedom 125 starts at the equivalent of $1,137 for a drum-braked version and rises to the equivalent of $1,317 for a disc-brake model with LED lights. In comparison, Bajaj’s gasoline-powered CT 125X, starts at the equivalent of $924, but over a lifetime of use the Freedom should pay dividends in savings.While there’s no prospect of the Freedom 125 being brought to the US market, it illustrates that CNG is a viable fuel for motorcycles and another relatively eco-friendly alternative to ideas like hydrogen-powered or electric bikes, particularly if bio-CNG is used to power it.
Full Text:
The world’s first CNG-powered motorcycle is the Bajaj Freedom 125. (Bajaj/)
Back in April we revealed patents giving details of the world’s first production motorcycle to be powered by compressed natural gas. Now it’s been launched as the Bajaj Freedom 125 and the company is promising a huge reduction in running costs and emissions compared to similarly sized gasoline-powered machines.
Compressed natural gas, or CNG, is mainly composed of methane and can be sourced either as a fossil fuel from the ground or made as a biogas from waste, and even when burned in fossil-fuel form it generates far less CO2 than gasoline. The combustion process alone produces around a quarter less CO2, as well as huge reductions in unburned hydrocarbon and NOx emission. Bio-CNG is greener still, leading to an overall carbon footprint around 85 percent lower than conventional liquid fossil fuel.
Bajaj’s Freedom 125. (Bajaj/)
In India, CNG is already being widely adopted for trucks and Bajaj already offers CNG-powered versions of its range of three-wheeled auto rickshaws. As one of the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturers, adopting the same technology on two wheels was the next logical step.
While CNG can be used by conventional gasoline combustion engines with a few modifications, Bajaj has developed the Freedom 125 from a clean sheet to be CNG-powered. The engine wasn’t the difficult part. While it’s purpose-made to run on CNG it also features an auxiliary gasoline tank to make sure riders aren’t stranded in areas where CNG isn’t widely available yet. Creating a bike with two separate fuel systems—one based around a high-pressure gas cylinder—meant rethinking the chassis and mechanical layout.
Not only does the Freedom 125 have a 12-liter CNG tank, but it also has a half-gallon gasoline tank as a backup. (Bajaj/)
The 12-liter CNG cylinder carries 4.4 pounds of CNG when it’s filled at a pressure of around 3,000 psi, enough for a range of around 125 miles before the gas runs out. Roughly the shape and size of a scuba tank, it sits lengthways in the frame and runs from just behind the steering head all the way under the rider’s seat. The small, half-gallon gasoline tank adds another 80 miles of range and wraps around the front right of the CNG cylinder, while the engine’s airbox is sculpted to fit around the front left of it, creating a shape like a conventional fuel tank. The engine, meanwhile, is angled with its single cylinder nearly horizontal to make space for the CNG tank above it. The result is a compact machine with a 52.7-inch wheelbase but a slightly taller-than-average 32.5-inch seat height. At 329 pounds it’s around 40 pounds heavier than a conventional, gasoline-only bike of a similar size and performance.
Since riders might be understandably wary of wrapping their legs around a cylinder filled with flammable gas at 3,000 psi, Bajaj has put substantial effort into protecting the CNG tank. The bike’s frame is a steel trellis design, creating a strong cage around the cylinder, and the company went to the unusual lengths of subjecting the bike to a barrage of crash tests including frontal and side impacts, and drop tests, even going to the extent of running over a prototype with a 10-ton truck, to make sure the CNG tank wouldn’t rupture and its gas valve remained firmly attached.
The Freedom 125’s dash. (Bajaj/)
The risk of explosion is low, then. With around 9.5 hp and 7.2 lb.-ft. of torque, the bike isn’t a fireball in performance terms either and pretty much on a par with similarly sized, air-cooled singles powered by gasoline. For the Indian market where the bike is targeted, that’s enough to be competitive, and while the Freedom 125 costs a little more than a gasoline-powered bike up front, Bajaj says running costs can be up to 50 percent lower than a normal internal combustion motorcycle thanks to the lower price of CNG. The Freedom 125 starts at the equivalent of $1,137 for a drum-braked version and rises to the equivalent of $1,317 for a disc-brake model with LED lights. In comparison, Bajaj’s gasoline-powered CT 125X, starts at the equivalent of $924, but over a lifetime of use the Freedom should pay dividends in savings.
While there’s no prospect of the Freedom 125 being brought to the US market, it illustrates that CNG is a viable fuel for motorcycles and another relatively eco-friendly alternative to ideas like hydrogen-powered or electric bikes, particularly if bio-CNG is used to power it.
