Indian Govt to Issue Guidelines for Mandating Flex-Fuel Vehicles

As per the latest media reports, the central government may soon pass orders and make it mandatory for automakers to produce passenger and commercial vehicles that run on different fuel sources in order to reduce the use of polluting fossil fuels and reduce harmful emissions. It is also being said that the government is developing an incentive programme to encourage the manufacturing and use of flex engines in vehicles.

For a long time, the national government has advocated the use of ethanol as a greener alternative to traditional transportation fuels. Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, had earlier urged Indian automakers to include flex-fuel engines in their product lineups. While talking about Flex-Fuel Vehicles (FFVs), these are customized vehicles that can operate on both gasoline and doped gasoline with varying percentages of ethanol mixes.

In addition, these are now being utilised effectively in Brazil, allowing individuals to switch fuel (gasoline and ethanol) based on price and convenience. As a matter of fact, FFVs account for the vast majority of cars sold in Brazil. For India, FFVs will have a distinct benefit in that they will allow vehicles to use different mixes of ethanol-mixed gasoline available in various areas of the nation. It is also crucial for the country because, at present, in some states of India, the petrol price is more than Rs. 100 per litre.

Recently, at an industrial event, Gadkari said that they are actively working on implementing the policy of manufacturing FFVs that are currently being used in Brazil, where people have the choice of whether they want to use 100 per cent petrol or 100 per cent bio-ethanol. He added that the technology is easily available, and it is time to take the plunge, and he is looking forward to the Indian auto sector rapidly introducing bio-ethanol compatible automobiles.