INDIA REPORT
Toyota has launched the Corolla Altis, India’s first flex-fuel engine. This car will be able to run on petrol or ethanol as well as electric power. It is part of a pilot project developing Flexi-Fuel Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicles in India.
Source: Hindu Times Read The Article
Because of the great diversity in India’s consumer population, especially its per-capita income disparity, and multiple applications of vehicles, India might not use one technology but might use a combination of technologies involving various fuel types.
The Indian market can’t simply shift from petrol/ diesel engines to EVs over the next few years. Hence, many OEMs are working on CNG/ hydrogen/ hybrid vehicles. Toyota has launched this new vehicle for the Indian market as part of these efforts.
The new vehicle is imported from Toyota Brazil. It is powered by flex-fuel technology, which allows the engine to run on fuel blended with a higher percentage of ethanol, reducing the consumption of gasoline. This car can run on various grades of Ethanol-blended petrol, going up to 100 % Ethanol. It uses a hybrid powertrain
Currently, EV adoption is moving slowly and major critical components are imported from many countries, primarily China. To minimize this dependence, the Indian government may have to consider flex fuels.
India presently has a 10% ratio of ethanol in petrol. This has helped save money and reduce emissions. (In 2020-21, a saving of Rs 10,000 crore was achieved due to Ethanol blending.) The mixing ratio is planned to go up to 20% by 2025 as the government continues to push for flex fuels. As India is a major producer of sugar, it is keen to boost its use of ethanol. Hence, the objective of the pilot is to see how the car operates in India and increase awareness of the technology.
“As India progresses towards E20 (20% Ethanol) blending, we can expect our fuel-savings to go up Rs 30,000 crore per year,” says Vikram Gulati, Country Head and Senior Vice-President, Toyota Kirloskar Motor. “In barrel numbers, the savings would be about 86 million barrels in 2024-25.” PSR
Aditya Kondejkar is Research Analyst – South Asia Operations for Power Systems Research
