- On 12th March 2023, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari initiated a National Pilot Programme for running city buses on 15% Methanol blended fuel (MD15).
- Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has provided some of its buses to Ashok Leyland as part of a three-month field trial.
- For the country’s commercial implementation of Methanol, NITI Aayog, the agency that conceptualized a roadmap for the Methanol economy, will submit a report after the trial run to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways of India and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
- “The concept of ‘methanol economy’ is being actively adopted by China, Italy, Sweden, Israel, the US, Australia, Japan and many other European countries. 10 per cent of the fuel in China in the transport sector is methanol,” NITI Aayog statement.
- A sum of 80 Methanol-fueled buses will be presented as a part of the pilot project by BMTC.
- Ashok Leyland will be the first to give 20 buses on the main stage, followed by other bus makers once they agree with NITI Aayog.
- Also, Indian Oil Corporation will give free Diesel and Methanol for 90 days for the pilot project.
First methanol-run buses unveil by Nitin Gadkari in Bengaluru
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