Back in October 2021, we reported that Maruti Suzuki is considering introducing flex-fuel cars in its lineup, and now reports are confirming that the brand has begun developing new flex-fuel engines compatible with up to 85 percent ethanol blended petrol (E85 fuel). With this, India will become the first market to get BS6-compliant E85 engines. But before that, the carmaker is likely to introduce E20-compliant engines by April next year.
For those who aren’t aware, the flex-fuels are a blend of petrol & ethanol. Ethanol or ethyl alcohol is a starch-based fuel derived from corn grain, crop residues, wood chips, or sugar cane. It is a renewable fuel that is considerably cheaper than petrol. It oxygenates the fuel it is mixed with, thus controlling air pollution.
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In June 2022, the Indian government has achieved the target of 10% ethanol blend and is now willing to reach 20% ethanol blending in petrol by 2025-26. For this, certain types of modifications are required for internal combustion engines (IC engines) to operate on flex-fuel.
Depending on the blend percentage, the flex-fuel offers less fuel economy (mileage) when compared to petrol. This is due to the lower energy content in ethanol. However, ethanol has a higher octane number than gasoline, which increases power & improves acceleration performance when operating on higher ethanol blends.
The flex-fuel engines are expected to increase the prices of the cars by a small margin. However, reducing dependence on imported crude will certainly bring more economic benefits and boost agriculture, thereby creating employment in rural areas where employment opportunities are highly needed.
In other news, Maruti Suzuki is aiming to introduce electric cars by 2025. It is also exploring the opportunities to introduce cars that can operate on bio-CNG, which is a renewable fuel fetched by refining biogas.
