Toyota will unveil India’s first flex-fuel car on September 28, announced Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, on Wednesday. Although not much is revealed about the car, Gadkari said that he will lift the curtains off the flex-fuel-powered vehicle himself in New Delhi.
Flex fuel is a mixture of petrol and ethanol or methanol. Short for flexible fuel, flex fuel is considered to be cleaner for the environment. In addition to this, flex fuel burns more efficiently than conventional petrol. A flex fuel engine can work on fuel that is about 83 percent ethanol mixed with petrol.
A regular engine runs on one type of fuel, whereas a flex fuel engine can run on a mixture of fuels. Moreover, ethanol is a type of fuel that can be sourced from natural things like sugarcane or corn. This comes as a benefit since then the country would not have to depend on importing fuel.
Announcing the unveiling of the flex-fuel-powered car at the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA) conference, Gadkari said, “On the 28th of this month, I am going to launch the Toyota flex-engine car in Delhi.”
India will join the club of countries – Germany, France, and Brazil – which are already using flex-fuel engines for their cars. During a time when the country imports most of its fuel from other nations, inclusion of flex fuel engines will be a boon for the country’s economy. Furthermore, usage of flex fuel will also give the country more grip in completing its goals for reducing the carbon footprint.
The initiation of the developments in this direction can be traced back to December last year when Gadkari urged the automakers in the country to work on fossil fuel vehicles (FFV). Gadkari cited India’s compliance with the commitments made at COP26, which aims at reducing the total projected carbon emission by one billion tonnes by the year 2030.
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