Suzuki Motor is actively working on producing biogas fuel for vehicles using cow dung in India, as part of its broader efforts to achieve carbon neutrality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero, beyond just electric vehicles, reported The Japan Times,
On December 25, Suzuki Motor President Toshihiro Suzuki, along with other company executives, visited a dairy farm in Gujarat, western India. At the farm, cow dung is collected and placed in a fermentation tank to produce methane gas, which is used as cooking fuel, while the leftover manure is processed into organic fertilizer.
This farm is part of a pilot project run by a subsidiary of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), an Indian government agency responsible for managing biogas plants. Suzuki Motor is collaborating with the board to purchase cow dung, which is typically discarded, from dairy farmers. The company plans to use a similar methane extraction method to produce biogas as an alternative fuel for compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles.
The automaker plans to set up five biogas plants in Gujarat, with two expected to begin operation by summer. The biogas produced will be available at nearby filling stations.
Suzuki has signed an investment agreement with the NDDB subsidiary and aims to expand its biogas operations across India in partnership with major dairy associations.
Using methane as fuel prevents its release into the atmosphere, helping to reduce its potent warming effect—methane is about 28 times more damaging than carbon dioxide. In fact, the dung from just 10 cows in one day can power a CNG vehicle for an entire day, and India is home to an estimated 300 million cows.
Suzuki Motor holds a dominant position in India’s CNG vehicle market, accounting for over 70% of sales.
At the dairy farm, cow dung is shaped into discs and sun-dried, a practice commonly used as fuel for cooking in rural India, making the use of cow dung widely accepted.
President Suzuki emphasized the project’s potential to benefit rural communities, stating, “It is highly effective in boosting rural areas. We need to cooperate and contribute to the development of India.”
While Suzuki Motor is considering similar projects in other countries, its initiative in India focuses more on social contribution than immediate profitability.
Notably, the visit took place on the same day that Osamu Suzuki, the company’s adviser and father of the current president, passed away in Japan.
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