: , Minister of Road Transport and Highways of India (MoRTH) today unveiled India’s first flex fuel electrified vehicle that can run on either electric mode or on hundred percent . Nitin Gadkari has been the torchbearer for India’s clean mobility movement and he has upheld ethanol blending and the use of ethanol as fuel for reducing carbon emissions and reducing fuel imports. The Indian government’s vision is to evolve the automotive technology in India faster than smartphones and it is clearly going to benefit the country both economically and environmentally.
Nitin Gadkari today unveiled India’s first Stage 2 BS6 compliant E100 Toyota flex fuel vehicle. The vehicle unveiled by the minister today is an exemplary example of India’s commitment to reducing vehicular emission and its vision to make India a carbon neutral country, while reducing the dependence on imported oil.
The flex fuel unveiled today is a strong hybrid flex fuel vehicle or SHEV. In simpler terms it is a hybrid vehicle that can use 100 percent ethanol as fuel and use electric power to move the vehicle. This car is equipped with Toyota’s strong hybrid technology that we have already seen in the ongoing version of the Innova Hycross in India. The company claims that this vehicle can run 60 percent of the time and 40 percent of the distance on EV only mode. Unveiled today this is not just India’s first Stage 2 BS6 compatible electrified flex fuel vehicle but in fact it is the world’s first vehicle to achieve this tune and to be unveiled first globally in India is remarkable achievement for India and the Indian automotive industry.
The unveiling of Hycross flex fuel in India today is a remarkable feat in itself and it outlines the vision of the Indian government and sets new benchmarks in clean and green mobility globally. The government has time and again stated that greener and cleaner fuels are the future of mobility. India has upholding green hydrogen to be the fuel of the future and by the time green hydrogen technology is being made more viable, ethanol blending has been resorted to as the immediate solution for reducing vehicular emissions.
To be precise India has jumped from 1.53 percent ethanol mix in fuel in 2013-14 to 20 percent ethanol blended fuel in 2023. To further reduce vehicular emissions in the country the percentage of ethanol blending will need to increase and vehicles the Toyota Innova Hycross electrified flex fuel vehicles using 100 percent ethanol and electric power will be the go to choice for Indians until green hydrogen dreams are materialized.
Commenting on this landmark occasion “Ethanol being an indigenous, clean & renewable fuel holds a promising future for India. The Government’s focus on ethanol is for achieving energy self-reliance, spurring the incomes for farmers and having a better impact on the environment. The Government’s plan is not only to diversify agriculture surpluses towards the energy sector but also generate wealth from waste using 2G technology for producing ethanol from bio-waste. A lot of emphasis is being laid on building and expanding the necessary infrastructure to produce ethanol in the whole country”.
“It is indeed commendable to see that Toyota is making strong efforts for transitioning to cleaner energy options and for environment conservation with its multiple advanced technological capabilities like Hydrogen Vehicle, Electrified Flex Fuel Vehicle and more. Today, we unveiled the Prototype of the World’s First BS 6 (Stage Il), Electrified Flex Fuel Vehicle of Toyota, aligning with the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan,” he added.
