What if your car’s fuel bill felt like ₹25 petrol? The hybrid tech behind Gadkari’s 100% ethanol car pitch
Nitin Gadkari advocates for ethanol-powered cars, highlighting their comparable costs to petrol at ₹25 per litre.
Union Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari is advocating for cars that can run solely on ethanol, claiming their operational costs could match those of a petrol-powered vehicle, with fuel priced at approximately ₹25 per liter. He has been invited to the launch of a Toyota Innova capable of running on 100% ethanol in October. This vehicle utilizes Toyota's electrified flex-fuel technology, which integrates an ethanol-compatible internal combustion engine with a robust hybrid electric powertrain.
Ethanol is employed in 19 countries globally, and currently, no issues have been reported regarding vehicles in India. During a speech at a program, Gadkari highlighted that ethanol can be produced domestically using feedstocks like sugarcane and maize, while the hybrid system can lower fuel consumption by permitting the vehicle to function partially on electric power. Toyota's earlier statements provide context to Gadkari's proposal.
Toyota's strong-hybrid system can operate with the petrol engine deactivated for about 60% of the time and cover approximately 40% of the distance in electric mode under particular test conditions. Although Toyota has not independently announced an October commercial launch in India on its website, the company has been researching the technology for years.
Gadkari emphasized that utilizing ethanol could enhance farmers' income and lessen India's reliance on petroleum imports during his address. He made this claim while launching Madhya Pradesh's new public bus service alongside Chief Minister Mohan Yadav. The minister emphasized ethanol production's benefits for farmers, citing the rise in maize prices from around ₹1,200 per quintal to ₹2,600 per quintal after ethanol production started.
Gadkari emphasized the concept of swadeshi, self-reliance, and independence, stating that flex-fuel engines, capable of running on 100% ethanol, are being developed and vehicles using this technology will be released. India imports petroleum worth around ₹22 lakh crore, and Gadkari stressed the necessity of reducing the nation's dependence on imported fuel by utilizing ethanol, electricity, hydrogen, and other alternative energy sources.
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