• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said he would issue an order in the next three to four months making it mandatory for the carmakers to introduce flex fuel engines in vehicles. 

• He said he wishes to see the country get rid of petrol and diesel consumption in his lifetime by switching to locally-produced ethanol. 

What are flex fuel engines?

• A flexible fuel vehicle (FFV), as its name implies, has the flexibility of running on more than one type of fuel. 

• FFVs have an internal combustion engine and are capable of operating on gasoline and any blend of gasoline and ethanol/methanol.

• Like conventional gasoline vehicles, FFVs have a single fuel tank, fuel system, and engine.

• Some special ethanol-compatible components are required to compensate for the different chemical properties and energy content in ethanol, such as modifications to the fuel pump and fuel injection system.

• While fuel economy (mileage) is generally lower with increased levels of ethanol (due to the lower energy content in ethanol as compared to gasoline and because the engines are optimized for gasoline), many FFVs have improved acceleration performance when operating on higher ethanol blends.

• In the West, FFVs have been produced since the 1990s, and more than one hundred models are available.

Common ethanol fuel mixtures:

• E5 - Blending 5 per cent ethanol with 95 per cent gasoline

• E10 - Blending 10 per cent ethanol with 90 per cent gasoline

• E85 - Blending 85 per cent ethanol with 15 per cent gasoline

• ED95 - Blending 95 per cent ethanol and 5 per cent additives (co-solvent, corrosion inhibitors and ignition improvers) for diesel vehicles

• E100 - Pure ethanol

In order to increase the availability of ethanol for transport use, many initiatives have been taken by various countries across the world. 

Challenges for adoption of FFVs:

• From the customer perspective, flex fuel vehicles may not seem feasible in  India, since the cost of ownership and running cost are going to be very high compared with regular vehicles.

• FFVs could be more expensive than regular vehicles due to the upgradation of materials, engine parts and fuel system. Further, running cost (due to lower fuel efficiency) will be higher by more than 30 per cent.

• Unless the fuel cost of FFVs at retail outlets is made cheaper, customers may not prefer these vehicles. Customer acceptance will be the big challenge in this case.

• Development effort of a flex fuel vehicle is much higher than regular vehicles considering that the control systems have to be calibrated with multiple blends to derive optimum efficiency and meet emission regulations. Investing in development of such vehicles is not viable if the fuel is not available across the country.

Manorama Yearbook app is now available on Google Play Store and iOS App Store