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Mumbai: Carmakers in India are increasingly navigating a mix of powertrain technologies from petrol to hybrids to electric, driven by policy initiatives, tougher emission norms and changing customer preferences, among others.Automakers said alternative fuel technologies such as electric, hybrids, compressed natural gas (CNG), biogas and flex fuel need to coexist with traditional fuel options of petrol and diesel to support the transition to cleaner and more sustainable transport options.This fragmentation has led to different auto companies dominating different emerging segments even as most automakers have a sizeable portfolio of petrol and diesel models.Maruti Suzuki, for example, leads in CNG and hybrids but has no presence yet in electric while homegrown Tata Motors leads in electric vehicles (EVs) and has a strong presence in CNG but lacks hybrids, data collated by Jato Dynamics show.108906066Mahindra & Mahindra has electric and mild hybrid models but no CNG while Korean carmakers Hyundai and Kia have a presence in CNG and electric but no presence in hybrids.“The Indian car market’s powertrain landscape is not a one-size-fits-all scenario; it’s a complex interplay between established technologies like petrol and diesel, the strategic adoption of alternatives like CNG and hybrids, and the ongoing development of electric vehicles,” said Ravi Bhatia, president of Jato Dynamics.“As the market evolves, carmakers that can adapt and offer a diverse range of powertrain options are likely to be the ones that thrive in this multi-gear future,” he said.There is a growing demand for cleaner, greener powertrains both from urban and upcountry areas, industry insiders said. Customers are increasingly choosing alternate fuel options with the intent of economical as well as more eco-friendly drive. Customers are starting to prefer electric and hybrid vehicles because of their lower running costs, they said.Additionally, regulatory nudges — the central government, for example, has set a target of 30% EV contribution to sales across vehicle segments by 2030 — are pushing manufacturers to launch more models in these segments.Maruti Suzuki will be producing its first EV in 2024-25 with the introduction of eVX in the mid SUV category, its senior executive director Shashank Srivastava said. It plans to have six EV models by 2030-31, he said.Growing charging network is helping boost customer confidence in EVs. However, supply chain, battery costs and charging infrastructure have to significantly improve before fully electric cars can take off in a big way, industry insiders said.HYBRIDS BRIDGE TRANSITIONHybrids are seen as a bridge for the transition from traditional fuels to electric. Toyota and Maruti Suzuki are pitching strong hybrids to retail as well as fleet customers, who may not be ready to make the shift to fully battery-powered vehicles.According to Srivastava, Maruti’s powertrain break-up in 2030 will be 15% electric, 25% hybrid, and the balance a mix of gasoline, CNG and flex fuel, or flexible-fuel vehicles that can run on more than one type of fuel. Currently, CNG vehicles account for about 26% of total sales of the country's largest carmaker. As many as 14 out of its 17 models have CNG options, Srivastava said.The Indian market now boasts of a diverse range of CNG models, with more than 20 variants available across different body types and price points, offered by various OEMs.The proliferation of CNG refuelling stations across the nation has also been a game changer, industry insiders said.

Lucknow, India unearthed a new fast-bowling star in Mayank Yadav (3/27) who stole the limelight with his searing pace amid the usual flurry of monstrous hits as Lucknow Super Giants humbled Punjab Kings by 21 runs in the IPL here on Saturday. Asked to bat first, floater Krunal Pandya's late blitz powered LSG to a competitive 199/8. Opener Quinton de Kock top-scored for LSG with a 38-ball 54 but it was stand-in skipper Nicholas Pooran's 21-ball 42, which infused life into his team's innings in the middle overs. On the back of two sixes and four boundaries, Krunal then scored at a strike rate of 200 to finish on a 22-ball 43 and give his side extra cushion. That total proved to be enough for LSG, who registered their first win of this IPL thanks to Mayank's exploits. Punjab, who ended at 178/5, missed Liam Livingstone's (28 not out off 17 balls) service at No.4 as he could not bat in the position due to an injury. In the 12th over of Punjab's innings, Mayank bowled the tournament's fastest ball at 155.8 kmph. It was Mayank's extra pace that rattled Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh and Jitesh Sharma and led to their downfall. He consistently clocked 150 and above on the speedometer during his four-over spell, emerging as the night's hero. This was after the dashing opening combo of Shikhar Dhawan (70 off 50 balls) and Bairstow (42 off 29 balls) quickly got the measure of what looked like a very good surface for batting, both getting a few boundaries to set the ball rolling. PBKS skipper Dhawan made a statement of sorts when he reverse-swept M Siddharth over backward point. Thanks to their attacking approach, PBKS raced to 61 for no loss in the power play and continued in the same vein with Dhawan bringing up his fifty with a maximum off Ravi Bishnoi. Bairstow was equally marauding and struck Krunal Pandya for two successive sixes as the visitors crossed 100 in the 11th over. Bishnoi put the brakes on PBKS' scoring with a tight 11th over, giving away just three runs, and that forced Bairstow to go after Mayank but the batter miscued and ended up throwing away his wicket. It was the fast bowler's maiden IPL wicket. Prabhsimran blazed away to a seven-ball 19 before becoming Mayank's second victim. Dhawan tried hard to keep his team in the game, but PBKS could not keep up with the asking rate and soon, the Punjab captain too succumbed to the pressure and Jitesh failed to tackle Mayank's extra pace. Earlier, De Kock got the LSG innings underway with a splendid drive through mid-off for a boundary. Playing the game as 'impact player' having handed over the leadership responsibility to Nicholas Pooran, KL Rahul didn't look convincing as he tried to flick Kagiso Rabada behind square on the leg-side. Running in from a long way, a diving Harshal Patel made a valiant attempt to latch on to the ball but Rahul was lucky as the fielder could not pull off what would have been a blinder. At the other end, De Kock was in his elements as he flayed Rabada over point for a four in the first delivery he faced from the South African speedster. Next ball de Kock did one better, as he opened the face of the bat to whack Rabada over the backward point boundary for a six. Rahul drove Arshdeep Singh down the ground for a maximum, and then, smashed another delivery in a similar fashion, but that fetched him a four. Arshdeep, however, exacted his revenged when the left-arm seamer had the LSG batter caught by Jonny Bairstow at backward point for a nine-ball 15. Devdutt Padikkal got himself two boundaries before being dismissed by Sam Curran (3/28). Marcus Stoinis (19) hit two sixes before being bowled by Rahul Chahar as he looked to hoick the spinner on the on-side. That brought Pooran into the middle and the West Indian quickly got into the groove, hitting Chahar for two sixes and a four for a 20-run over, which gave LSG's run rate a much-needed impetus. Meanwhile, De Kock brought up his half century in 34 balls but a strategic timeout broke LSG's momentum as the left-handed South African batter top-edged a short Arshdeep delivery for wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma to complete an easy catch. Pooran kept the scoreboard moving at a good rate until he dragged a Rabada delivery onto the stumps, a big blow for LSG at a crucial juncture. New man Krunal Pandya did not waste any time to settle down, brilliantly dispatching a short Rabada delivery over midwicket for a maximum. Curran bowled a tight 17th over to halt LSG's charge, but Krunal got a flurry of boundaries to prop up LSG.