The Hindu Business Line : Second leg of Mercedes biodiesel test-run from Aug 1

The trip, which would conclude on August 9, would cover a distance of 1,920 km and would be driven by two C class vehicles — Mercedes Benz and Viano, the Mercedes van. The partners in this project include DaimlerChrysler India, the Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute and the University of Hohenheim.

Talking to presspersons, Mr Suhas Kadlaskar, Director, Corporate Affairs and Finance, DCIL, said the vehicles would drive across the frozen desert of Leh and over Khardung La Pass, the highest motorable road in the world and Rohtang Pass, the second highest motorable road. The trip would begin from Chandigarh and would halt at Manali, Sarchung and then reach Leh on August 3.

The next two days would be utilised for conducting various tests and the vehicles would be driven back to reach Chandigarh on August 9.

It may be recalled that the first phase of the project, the trial run of the Mercedes vehicles on biodiesel from the jatropha plant was conducted in 2003-04. The vehicles were driven in the humid climate of the South as also the hot desert of the North. It had completed about 6,000 km after which the trial runs continued in Pune. The aim is to clear 30,000 km by the end of the current calendar year so as to get clear definitions and standards which biodiesel would require, he said.

Mr Kadlaskar said to make this project viable, the partners had already bought about 30 acres in Gujarat and 20 acres in Orissa under the jatropha cultivation. He said that DCIL was also looking at setting up co-operative societies in these areas, which would be run and owned by the farmers in these locations. The acreage set aside is 500 hectares. The plant and machinery would be set up by DCIL, the technology and cultivation techniques would be imparted by CSMCRI, he said.

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