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What is the News?
Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Friday said the government would soon make it mandatory for all vehicle manufacturers to make flex engines (that can run on more than one fuel).
What are Flex Fuel Vehicles(FFV)?
Flex Fuel Vehicles(FFV) is a modified version of vehicles that could run on a blend of petrol and ethanol.
In these vehicles, both fuels are stored in a common tank. The resulting blend is burnt in the combustion chamber, generating power for the vehicle.
Advantages of Flex Fuel Vehicles
Reduced dependence on petrol/diesel and thus reduced dependence on oil imports.
Ethanol burns more cleanly than conventional petrol, which reduces the car’s carbon footprint.
Helps in addressing the problems of surplus food grains (These can be used in making Ethanol).
Less costly: Alternative fuel ethanol is Rs 60-62 per litre while petrol costs more than Rs 100 per litre in many parts of the country, so by using ethanol, Indians will save Rs 30-35 per litre.
Disadvantages of Flex Fuel Vehicles
Customer acceptance will be a major challenge since the cost of ownership and running costs are going to be very high compared with 100% petrol vehicles.
Engine damage: Ethanol can also, unfortunately, cause corrosion and damage to the engine, mainly because it absorbs dirt easily.
Flex Fuel Vehicles will cost more as they will require several engineering tweaks to new engines, with corrosion-resistant rubber hoses and pipes.
Less Fuel Efficiency: Ethanol evaporates faster, so it is much harder to store. It burns better, but it also burns quicker, which means compromised fuel efficiency. However, it has higher octane than petrol and therefore provides increased power and performance.
Source: This post is based on the article ”Flex-fuel engines to be mandatory soon: Gadkari” published in The Hindu on 25th September 2021.
