Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, speaking at the 62nd annual session of the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA), asked the industry to consider flex-fuel technology.
The minister's call for flex fuel vehicles isn’t new, however, the big news is the imminent arrival of a flex-fuel capable car. “On the 28th of this month [September], I am going to launch the Toyota flex-fuel engine car in Delhi,” Gadkari said. He, however, did not specify which model this is.
The flex-fuel-powered Toyota will be a pilot project for India.
What is a flex-fuel engine?
A ‘flex-fuel engine’ is an internal combustion engine that can run on more than one type of fuel, and also a mixture. Typically, a blend of petrol and ethanol or methanol is used, and the engine is capable of automatically adjusting for any ratio, thanks to modifications like a fuel composition sensor and suitable ECU programming. Flex-fuel engines are capable of running on 100 percent petrol or ethanol and are already available in countries such as Brazil, the USA and Canada.
At the 2021 Autocar India Awards, urging carmakers to explore flex-fuel engines in our market, Gadkari had said both four-wheelers and two-wheelers could run on either petrol or ethanol as fuel.
Uday Singh
Dipan Sur
Glenn Noronha
Viraaj Bhatnagar
