Maruti Suzuki to use biogas from cow dung in its carbon-neutral cars

According to an Economic Times report, Maruti Suzuki said in a global presentation 'growth strategy for 2030': “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."

"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."

Suzuki is looking at developing CNG automotive solutions around biogas in India, and also plans to expand the business to other farming regions of the world, including Africa, Asean, and Japan in the future, the report said.

"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.

The development is in line with the previous developments as the Japanese carmaker signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to start a biogas demonstration project last year.

This was followed by a tripartite agreement MoU between NDDB, SMC and Banas Dairy, a part of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, to commercially manufacture biogas by mid-2024.

The company has also signed an agreement with Fujisan Asagiri Biomass which generates power from biogas created from cow dung in Japan.

Maruti Suzuki aims to roll out its first electric car in the next financial year and after that launch one new electric car every year till 2030.