What are flex fuel vehicles?

A flexible-fuel vehicle (FFV) or dual-fuel vehicle (informally called a flex-fuel vehicle) is an alternative fuel vehicle with an internal combustion engine designed to run on more than one fuel, usually gasoline blended with either ethanol or methanol fuel, and both fuels are stored in the same common tank.

The most common commercially available FFV in the world market is the ethanol flexible-fuel vehicle.

Flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) run on gasoline and any blend of gasoline and ethanol up to 85% (E85). However , they are designed to run on 100 per cent petrol or 100 per cent bio-ethanol or a combination of both.

Except for a few engine and fuel system modifications, they are identical to gasoline-only models.

What are the different names of flex-fuel vehicles around the world?

As ethanol FFVs became commercially available during the late 1990s, the common use of the term “flexible-fuel vehicle” became synonymous with ethanol FFVs.

In the United States flex-fuel vehicles are also known as “E85 vehicles”. In Brazil, the FFVs are popularly known as “total flex” or simply “flex” cars. In Europe, FFVs are also known as “flexifuel” vehicles.

What are Flex Fuel Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicles (FFSHEV)?

Flex Fuel Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicles (FFSHEV) though yet to be made widely available in world markets, essentially houses an electric motor which powers the vehicle alongside the traditional petrol engine.

Flex-fuel hybrid electric and flex-fuel plug-in hybrid are two types of hybrid vehicles built with a combustion engine capable of running on gasoline, E-85, or E-100 to help drive the wheels in conjunction with the electric engine or to recharge the battery pack that powers the electric engine.

What is dual-fuel systems with respect to Flexible-fuel vehicles (FFVs) ?

Flexible-fuel vehicles (FFVs) are based on dual-fuel systems that supply both fuels into the combustion chamber at the same time in various calibrated proportions. The most common fuels used by FFVs today are unleaded gasoline and ethanol fuel.

What are Bi-fuel vehicles?

The term flexible-fuel vehicles is sometimes used to include other alternative fuel vehicles that can run with compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG; also known as autogas), or hydrogen. However, all these vehicles actually are bi-fuel and not flexible-fuel vehicles, because they have engines that store the other fuel in a separate tank, and the engine runs on one fuel at a time. Bi-fuel vehicles have the capability to switch back and forth from gasoline to the other fuel, manually or automatically.

What are the advantages of Flex-fuel vehicles?

■ One of the greatest advantages of a flex-fuel vehicle is that is can burn whatever proportion of fuel mixture is in the combustion chamber. The car is equipped with electronic sensors that gauge the blend, and its microprocessors adjust the fuel injection and timing.

■ FFVs experience no loss in performance when operating on E85, and some generate more torque and horsepower than when operating on gasoline.

■ Ethanol burns cleaner than gasoline, which means flex-fuel cars pump fewer toxic fumes into the environment. Flex fuel also contributes fewer greenhouse gases, making it a more environmentally friendly option than traditional gasoline.

■ Ethanol is a renewable, domestically produced transportation fuel and thus there will be a decreased dependence on oil.

■ Many flex-fuel vehicles run on ethanol, which is sustainably produced from ingredients such as cane sugar and corn. This makes ethanol a good alternative to purchasing foreign oil.

■ Flex-fuel vehicles are easier to adopt as compared to say a fully battery-powered electric vehicle. Since flex-fuel vehicles also use an internal combustion engine to run, the adoption of such vehicles is easier than other green alternatives. Existing engines can even be modified by manufacturers to run a higher blend of ethanol.

What are the disadvantages of Flex-fuel vehicles?

■ Higher blending of ethanol will mean higher manufacturing costs which translates to pricier vehicles. Certain auto parts, especially those that come in contact with higher ethanol content, will have to be replaced with a compatible product to avoid corrosion. There is a possibility of engine damage as ethanol absorbs dirt easily, which can potentially corrode and damage the engine.

■ While it’s great that flex fuel can be sustainably produced using corn and sugar, its production comes with a downside. Crops designed to be used for flex-fuel production can’t be allocated to other sources. This could potentially drive up the price of animal feed. Corn is also susceptible to disease and weather conditions such as flooding and drought. This can be problematic for corn prices during poor harvests.

■ One of the main concerns about driving a flex-fuel car is its gas mileage. While some experts assert that flex-fuel vehicles have similar mileage as regular fuel-powered vehicles, others claim they have lower gas mileage.

■ While ethanol does raise a vehicle’s octane level, it contains less energy per volume than gasoline. In other words, it will take 1.5 times more to provide the same energy levels. So, we will get fewer kilometer per litre using ethanol. FFVs typically get about 15%–27% fewer kilometer per litre when fuelled with E85.

■ Because flex fuel isn’t as economical as gasoline, gas stations are less likely to carry it. In fact, only a small percentage of gas stations nationwide supply ethanol, although that is likely to change as more consumers purchase flex-fuel vehicles.

At present how much blending is done in India?

A litre of petrol sold in India has an average of 8 percent ethanol content even though oil marketing companies have clearance to do even 10 percent (E10) blending. All vehicles manufactured in India are tuned for E10. All existing vehicles on Indian roads will not be able to run on higher ethanol content beyond 10 percent. The government has set the target of ethanol blending by 20 % that is E20 by 2025.

Why the Indian government is trying hard for Flex-fuel vehicles?

India, the world’s third biggest oil consuming and importing nation, spent USD 119.2 billion in 2021-22 (April 2021 to March 2022), up from USD 62.2 billion in the previous fiscal year. The rupee is also loosening its strength.

Thus the government is desperate to bring down the oil import bill by creating fuel substitutes like ethanol, hydrogen and electricity. Even a push till the E20 level can result in savings of $4 billion per annum, as per estimates. This is possible only if flex-fuel vehicles are made available in the market.

Moreover, FFVs will also help the government meet its commitments when it comes to reducing emission. By just hitting E20, carbon monoxide emissions are observed to be 50 per cent lower in two-wheelers and 30 per cent lower in four-wheelers compared to petrol. Hydrocarbons are lower by 20 per cent.