Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, announced on Monday that numerous Indian companies are establishing plants to manufacture vehicles running entirely on ethanol. Gadkari arrived at Parliament in a Toyota vehicle equipped with a flex engine that adheres to Euro 6 emission standards, achieving net-zero emissions. This vehicle operates on ethanol derived from sugarcane juice, molasses, and corn.
Toyota recently declared plans to set up a plant in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, with an investment of Rs 20,000 crore to produce flex cars. Gadkari also mentioned that Tata and Suzuki are working on producing 100 percent ethanol or flex engine cars. In the two-wheeler segment, companies like Bajaj, TVS, and Hero are developing flex-engine bikes and scooters.
Gadkari emphasized that other manufacturers are also working on flex engines, and similar to petrol pumps, ethanol pumps will soon be available, benefiting farmers by reducing pollution, saving costs, and providing alternative fuel sources. Earlier in August 2023, Gadkari unveiled a prototype of a 100 percent ethanol-run Bharat Stage (BS)-VI-compliant electrified flex-fuel car developed by Toyota Kirloskar Motors.
The prototype cars are now ready for mass production, with Toyota announcing the establishment of a plant in Aurangabad for this purpose. The unveiled prototype, a Toyota Innova HyCross, operates entirely on ethanol, covering 40 percent of its distance on ethanol and the remaining 60 percent on electric power, with the petrol engine shut off. While flex-fuel vehicles have been introduced internationally, including a flex-fuel version of the Toyota Corolla in 2022, India is now set to produce BS-VI emission standards-compliant flex-fuel vehicles.
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