Flex Fuel Technology

Why in the News?

India’s first ‘flex fuel’ car, developed as part of a pilot project is set for an unveiling.

Key Points:

About

Flex Fuel Technology

• A flex-fuel or flexible fuel vehicle is one which can run on more than one type of fuel or even a mixture of fuels rather than conventional petrol or diesel.
• These vehicles have an internal combustion engine and are capable of operating on gasoline and any blend of gasoline and ethanol up to 83%.
• Flex fuel vehicles (FFV) are capable of running on 100 per cent petrol or 100 per cent bio-ethanol or a combination of both.
• However, the most commonly used flex-fuels use 85% ethanol and 15% petrol but this ratio can be adjusted to feature more petrol.
•  The adoption of flexible engines is part of a broader strategy to cut down on the country’s dependence on imported crude in the medium-to-long run.

Advantages of Flex-Fuel

• Cleaner Fuel:

• • As flex-fuel features a blend of ethanol and petrol, it a cleaner burning fuel than pure petrol or diesel

• Flexible Usage:

• • Flex-fuel engines are designed to be used with any blend of ethanol and petrol.

• Sustainable Source:

• • Ethanol and methanol are more sustainable fuels that are sourced from food crops like corn and sugar cane.

Disadvantages:

• Inadequate Infrastructure:

• • • The greatest barrier to flex-fuel adoption is the infrastructure investment required to make the switch.

• Increased Engine Wear:

• • • While the engines will be designed to adjust to the blend of fuel used, the ethanol component in the flex-fuel will cause greater wear and stress on the engines.

• Lower Mileage:

• • While ethanol burns cleaner, it also contains less energy than pure petrol. Thus, a flex-fuel car will use more fuel as compared to a conventional petrol car.