India’s first flex-fuel vehicle has finally been launched. Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday announced the launch of Toyota Corolla Altis Hybrid, a first of its kind pilot project based on Flexi-Fuel Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicles (FFV-SHEV) technology.
Flex-fuel vehicles can run on flexible fuel, which is a mixture of petrol and ethanol, with a volume of up to 100 percent. With hybrid technology, these vehicles can also use batteries to power the engine, not only giving users more than one way to drive the car but also reducing carbon emissions.
The main idea behind flex fuel vehicles is to reduce dependence on petrol and diesel. Ethanol is a clean alternative to petrol which is available in abundance. Plus, flex fuel makes it a cheaper alternative to regular fuel, such as petrol.
Flex-fuel vehicles are gaining traction around the world, as various markets try to switch to sustainable resources. According to experts and automobile industry players, more than 2024 flex-fuel vehicles will hit the market. While Toyota’s new Corolla Altis hybrid is a pilot project in India aimed at assessing whether flex-fuel is feasible for a market like ours, about 85 percent of cars sold in Brazil are based on flex-fuel. The new Toyota Corolla Altis Flexi-Fuel Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicle (FFV-SHEV) is powered by a 1.8-litre ethanol-ready petrol-hybrid engine.
Gadkari said that India will promote the use of FFV-SHEVs to reduce dependence on petrol and contribute to the environment. The government has started producing flex-fuels designated as E95, E90 and E85, depending on the ratio of petrol and ethanol in the mixture.
India’s first ethanol-ready flex fuel hybrid car, after the Toyota Corolla Altis Hybrid, first appeared on BGR India.
