Alternative fuel: GM, Daimler & M&M plan Jatropha ride

[suguhopes]

AHMEDABAD: Driven by soaring crude prices, auto giants General Motors,
Daimler Chrysler and M&M have placed their bets on Jatropha. GM and
Daimler Chrysler are not just getting the alternate fuel tested on
their vehicles but also nurturing Jatropha cultivation for widescale
experiments.

Gujarat-based Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute
(CSMCRI) is aiding these companies realise their aspirations to use
Jatropha as an alternate fuel in their futuristic engines. While
European automotive player Daimler’s Jatropha plantations across
Gujarat and Orissa are already in their fourth year, US auto giant GM
will join the race to cultivate Jatropha across 75-80 hectares of
wasteland in Gujarat.

General Motors (India) president and MD Karl Slym told ET: “GM has
already invested $0.5 million (in the first phase) to get biodiesel
derived from Jatropha tested in six of its vehicles at CSMCRI’s
facility (at Bhavnagar).” “There does not seem to be an end to the
hike in crude oil prices.

GM is very aggressive about using alternate fuel in its vehicles. So
be it electric vehicles (tests are on in the US market) or LPG and CNG
variants, we are seeking the final answer to the problem. Shortly, we
will enter into another agreement with CSMCRI for contract farming of
Jatropha,” Mr Slym remarked.

N.Sukumar
Research Analyst