New Delhi: The Government of India wants to end the dependence on vehicles running on petrol and diesel. This is the reason why there is a lot of focus on electric vehicles. Apart from this, the government is also working on flex-fuel technology. In this sequence, Japanese automaker Toyota is going to bring the first flex-fuel engine car in India. According to the report, the company will launch the Toyota Corolla hybrid vehicle on September 28. Currently, this vehicle is being sold in Brazil.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari will present this car at an event in Delhi. Speaking at the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA) event earlier this month, the minister himself announced that he would unveil India’s first flex-fuel car in September. The car will be powered by a 2.0-litre petrol engine that is capable of running on E85 ethanol with a strong hybrid technology.
The model offered in India will be the only car sold in Brazil. This simply means that it will be a left hand drive vehicle. It will be used as a demo for Toyota in India. Earlier, something similar was seen with the hydrogen-powered Toyota Mirai.
What is a flex-fuels engine
Flex fuel is an engine in which a combination of petrol and ethanol/methanol can be used. This type of fuel is called flex or flexible fuel. To enable the engine to run on two or more fuels, a few changes have to be made to the petrol engine. This engine is also capable of running on 100% petrol and 100% ethanol. At present, such vehicles are used in Brazil, Canada and USA.