With electrified flex-fuel vehicles, India can benefit immensely from reduced carbon emissions and crude oil import bills
In line with its sustainable mobility goals, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has unveiled the world’s first BS6 (Stage II) electrified flex fuel vehicle. The prototype is a Innova Hycross that has a strong hybrid powertrain. The Innova Hycross flex-fuel prototype was unveiled in the presence of the Chief Guest, Shri Nitin Gadkari Ji, Hon’ble Union Minister – Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India.
As of now, Toyota has not provided a specific timeline for launch of flex-fuel Innova Hycross. It can take some time, as the prototype will undergo finer calibration and homologation. It will also need to get the necessary approvals and certification.
Strong-hybrid + ethanol – A perfect match?
While ethanol is considered a greener fuel in comparison to petrol and diesel, it has a lower energy density. Due to this, flex fuel vehicles have a lower fuel efficiency. According to Toyota, a solution to the problem is using ethanol with strong hybrid powertrains. Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicles (SHEVs) can deliver better results with ethanol-blend fuel, as such vehicles can cover 40% of the distance and 60% of the time in electric mode. The petrol motor is completely switched off in electric mode.
Using ethanol-blend fuel with SHEVs helps achieve higher fuel efficiency. With a higher ratio of electric mode driving, carbon emissions are also reduced. Toyota is also using minimal advanced chemistry batteries of ~ 1.3 – 1.5 KWh capacity. This is much lower than 40-60 KWh batteries used for BEVs. With minimal advanced chemistry batteries, high import costs and supply side constraints can be avoided.
Innova Hycross flex-fuel powertrain
Innova Hycross flex-fuel prototype uses the existing 2.0-litre Atkinson Cycle petrol engine, integrated with an electric motor. This is the same as the standard Innova Hycross Hybrid. However, given the corrosive nature of ethanol blends, Toyota has used some new parts for the engine. It includes new piston ring tops, spark plugs, valve and valve seats. Innova Hycross flex-fuel prototype is designed to run with the existing 20-percent ethanol blends as well as higher ethanol blends that will be introduced in the future.
To comply with the stringent BS6 Phase II emission norms, Toyota has upgraded the exhaust system with a three-way catalyst. To ensure seamless performance with ethanol, changes have also been introduced to the fuel pump, fuel filter and fuel lines. Ethanol sensors have been installed across all these components.
Flex-fuel vehicles are being promoted in a big way, as they offer multiple benefits. India has been consistently increasing the ethanol mix ratio in petrol. From 1.53% in 2013-14, ethanol blend is 11.5% as of March 2023. E20 (20% ethanol blending in petrol) is set to be achieved by April 2025. It will allow savings of around Rs 35,000 crore per year. Plus, greenhouse emissions will be reduced by 21 million metric tons. PM 2.5 emissions will be reduced by up to 14 percent in comparison to petrol powered vehicles.
