Govt issues advisory on flex-fuel engines in vehicles: Gadkari

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said the government has issued an advisory to carmakers to introduce flexible-fuel engines in vehicles. Addressing an event, Gadkari also said the government is working to encourage the use of green and alternative fuels. 

“Yesterday, I signed a file on flex-fuel engines (to advise carmakers to manufacture flex-fuel engines). We have given them (carmakers) six months (to introduce flex-fuel engines in vehicles that can run on more than one fuel),” he said. 

Flex-fuel, or flexible fuel, is an alternative fuel made of a combination of gasoline and methanol or ethanol. 

The Road Transport and Highways Minister said companies like TVS Motors NSE 0.50 % and Bajaj Auto NSE 1.22 % have already started producing flex-fuel engines for their two- and three-wheelers. “Soon, four-wheeler vehicles will run on 100 per cent ethanol. So, we won’t need petrol... And, the use of green fuel will save our money,” Gadkari said. 

Currently, Brazil and the US are two major markets where ethanol-blended fuels and flex-fuel engines are used predominantly. India is one of the major consumers of fossil fuel and it imports 80 per cent of its total fossil fuel requirement. India aims to boost the production and consumption of ethanol and ethanol-blended petrol. India has already set a target to increase the ethanol blend in petrol.