'Freedom 125': Bajaj launches world's first CNG bike; check price, mileage, features

Bajaj Auto on Friday, July 7, launched 'Bajaj Freedom 125', which it claims to the be "world's first-ever" compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered motorcycle.

The bike was unveiled by the company in Pune, in presence of Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari.

Shortly after Bajaj unveiled the CNG bike, rival Hero MotoCorp's shares dropped by 1.6% to hit an intraday low of ₹5,382 apiece on the NSE. However, it recovered the losses and was trading nearly flat at ₹5,549.65 at 3:05 pm.

Meanwhile, the shares of Bajaj Auto rose 2.1% after the motorcycle's launch to hit an intraday high of ₹9,660 apiece on the NSE.

What's the price of 'Bajaj Freedom 125'?

The motorcycle's basic variant – NG04 Drum – has been priced at ₹95,000. The mid-level advanced version – NG04 Drum LED – has been priced at ₹1,05,000.

The most advanced version, NG04 Disc LED, carries a price of ₹1,10,000, the company said.

102km/kg mileage

The bike will feature a first-of-a-kind 2 kg CNG cylinder located beneath the seat. The mileage would be around 102km per kg. This means that a full tank would allow the user to travel up to 204km without refueling.

In addition, the bike has been equipped with a 2-litre petrol tank ahead of the seat, which serves as a reserve.

In terms of features, the bike has been equipped with a 125 cc engine. As per the details shared by the company at the launch event, the engine is based on a single cylinder, and has a capacity of 9.4 bhp and 9.7 Nm of torque.

If operated only on CNG, the bike will allow users to save up to ₹75,000 in fuel costs over a period of 5 years, as against the usage of regular 125 cc motorcycle that runs on petrol, carandbike.com reported the company as saying at the launch event.

Other features

The Freedom 125 bike is available in seven colours, including dual-tone paint options. The motorcycle is equipped with seat measuring 785 mm in length, which is the "longest motorcycle seat in the world", the company reportedly said.

The motorcycle is fitted with 10-spoke alloy wheels, as per the visuals shared on social media. The bike has a rear drum brake, along with a front disc brake, Bajaj Auto noted.

For the top variant, the feature of negative LCD cluster with Bluetooth connectivity is being provided.