The auto sector is testing many new technologies to reduce carbon emissions. Flex fuel is one technology that has gained currency.

What are Flex Fuel Vehicles?

• Like traditional vehicles, flex fuel vehicles have an internal combustion engine, but instead of regular petrol, it can run on blended fuel—petrol with ethanol or methanol.
• The ethanol mix can vary between 20% and 85%.
• The vehicle has additional sensors and different programming of the engine control module to assess the blend of the fuel and adjust accordingly.
• Unlike electric hybrid vehicles, no bulky parts need to be added to the basic gasoline vehicle architecture.
• Upgrading existing vehicles to run on high blend of ethanol fuel, however, is possible but expensive and not considered feasible.

Are they better than traditional vehicles?

• Flex fuel vehicles are seen as a one-shot solution for multiple problems—pollution, oil import bill and glut in sugar production.
• According to the US department of energy, they have lower overall greenhouse gas emissions, between 40-108%, depending on the feedstock used to produce them.
• It could also help bring down India’s crude oil import bill.
• Further, India also suffers from a glut in sugar production of 6 million tonnes and in sugar season 2020-21, about 2.4 million tonne was diverted to produce 302 litres of ethanol for blending.
• India has set a target of 20% blending rate for 2025.

Is there a catch in flex-fuel technology?

• There is unlikely to be any direct benefit to the consumer.
• Though ethanol costs much lower than petrol at ₹47-64/ltr depending on the sugarcane source, oil marketing companies are expected to pocket the cost differential.
• It is also controlled by the government. So, chances of frequent revision are high.
• On the contrary, the fuel economy is likely to fall by 4-8%.

What are the challenges?

• For mass adoption, an adequate supply of different types of ethanol blends is needed across the country.
• This would have to be in addition to the existing network as current vehicles on the road would have to be supplied with fuel that has only 10% ethanol blending.
• This means significant investment in infra by oil firms.
• At the same time, a constant supply of ethanol would have to be ensured.
• Since this largely comes from sugarcane in India, which is a water-guzzling crop, any drought could have an impact on blending rates.

How do they fit in with carbon neutrality?

• With electrification already on the horizon, flex fuel vehicles are seen as a stop-gap arrangement.
• The benefit for the environment is less as compared to battery EVs or hydrogen fuel cell vehicles of the future.
• With much lower cost of running, they also offer better economy for consumers.
• The Toyota pilot project notwithstanding, there is also resistance from the industry.
• They want to prioritize investments and not get stretched thin between hybrid and battery electric, fuel cell and flex fuel technologies.

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