What if your fuel bill looks like ₹25 for petrol? Hybrid Technology Behind 100% Ethanol for Gadkari Brand Car | Today’s news
Gadkari has again pushed the case for cars that can run exclusively on ethanol, saying their running costs could be comparable to those of a petrol car with fuel prices around ₹25 per liter.
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said he has been invited to the October launch of the 100% ethanol-capable Toyota Innova. The vehicle is based on Toyota’s electrified flex-fuel technology, which combines an ethanol-compatible internal combustion engine with a powerful hybrid electric drive.
“Ethanol is used in 19 countries of the world and today there is no complaint from any vehicle in India. In October, I was invited to launch the Toyota Innova which will run on 100 percent flex fuel,” Gadkari said, as quoted by Business Today.
So how can the economy be similar ₹25 liters of petrol?
The answer lies in a combination of ethanol fuel and hybrid technology. Ethanol can be produced domestically from raw materials such as sugar cane and corn, while a hybrid system can reduce fuel consumption by allowing the vehicle to run partially on electric power.
Toyota’s earlier explanation provides context for Gadkari’s pitch. The automaker said its powerful hybrid system can operate with the gasoline engine off about 60% of the time and travel about 40% of the distance in electric mode under specific test conditions.
Toyota has not separately announced an October commercial launch on its website in India. However, the technology has been in the works for years.
Ethanol can help increase farmers’ incomes
Gadkari said on Friday that using ethanol could help boost farmers’ incomes and reduce India’s dependence on oil imports, as he called for wider adoption of alternative fuels and cleaner public transport.
He was speaking here about the program after the launch of Madhya Pradesh’s new public bus service with Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.
“Today, a farmer is not only our ‘anna data’ (provider of food) but also our ‘urja data’ (provider of energy),” Gadkari said.
Ethanol production has already benefited farmers, the Road Transport and Highways Minister said, citing an increase in maize prices from around ₹1,200 per cent ₹2,600 per quintal after starting ethanol production.
“That is the meaning of swadeshi, self-reliance and independence,” he said.
The minister said that flex-fuel engines capable of running on 100% ethanol are being developed and vehicles using this technology will be introduced.
India imports oil worth around ₹22 lakh crore, he said, stressing the need to reduce the country’s dependence on imported fuels using ethanol, electricity, hydrogen and other alternative energy sources.
