Union Minister Nitin Gadkari launches Toyota’s first of its kind pilot project on Flexi-Fuel Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicles in India.

October 12, 2022

Union minister Nitin Gadkari launched Japanese car maker Toyota’s first-of-its-kind pilot project on flex fuel-strong hybrid electric vehicle (FFV-SHEV) that can run on 100 per cent ethanol.
During the launch, the Toyota Corolla Altis FFV-SHEV, which has been imported from Toyota Brazil for the pilot project, was unveiled.
In Brazil, flex fuel-strong hybrid electric vehicle technology has been introduced by Toyota Brazil.
An FFV SHEV has a flex-fuel engine and an electric powertrain, thus providing dual benefit of higher ethanol use and greater fuel efficiency, as it can run for a significant time period on its EV mode, wherein the engine is shut off.
Flex-fuel compatible cars can run on more than one type of fuel and also a mixture. Typically, a blend of petrol and ethanol or methanol is used.
FFVs provide an opportunity of greater substitution of petrol by ethanol as it is capable of using any of the higher blends of ethanol mix from 20 per cent up to 100 per cent.
Flex-fuel vehicles are available in Brazil, the USA and Canada.
Ethanol is a major alternate fuel used globally and Brazil has the highest average blending of 48 per cent.