In News:

• Next month, India will get its first flex-fuel car, which can run on ethanol-blended petrol and a battery.
• The Flex Fuel Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicle (FFV-SHEV) imported from Brazil will be used in a pilot project led by the Government of India to evaluate its performance in terms of reduced carbon emissions and reducing the country's reliance on imported fossil fuels.

What’s in today’s article:

• About the flex fuel technology

Flex fuel technology:

• About the new technology:
  • A flex or flexible fuel vehicle has an internal combustion engine (ICE), but unlike a traditional petrol or diesel vehicle, it can run on more than one type of fuel, or even a combination of fuels.
    • The most common versions use a blend of petrol and ethanol or methanol, but these engines can also run on 100% petrol or ethanol.
  • This is accomplished by equipping the engine with a fuel mix sensor and engine control module (ECM) programming that detects and adjusts for any ratio of designated fuels.
  • According to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the push to encourage car manufacturers to use flexible engines is part of a larger strategy to reduce the country's reliance on imported crude in the medium to long term.
  • According to IHS Markit, there were over 21 million flex fuel vehicles (as of 2018) in the United States, but Brazil is the biggest market and a leader in this segment.
  • Since ethanol blending is expected to reach 20% by 2025-26, the groundwork will be laid for the introduction of FFV-SHEV vehicles in India.
• How do flex fuel cars work?
  • Most components in a flex fuel vehicle are the same as those in a conventional petrol-only vehicle.
  • Some ethanol-compatible components, such as modifications to the fuel pump and fuel injection system, are required to adjust to the different chemical properties and energy content in ethanol or methanol.
  • The ECM is also calibrated to account for ethanol's higher oxygen content.
  • Thus, the flex fuel vehicles are similar to their conventional petrol-only counterparts except for an ethanol-compatible fuel system and a different powertrain calibration.
• Advantages of flex fuel technology:
  • Ethanol blending significantly reduces harmful pollutants such as carbon monoxide, sulphur, carbon and nitrogen oxides.
  • The blending will help reduce oil imports for vehicle fuel.
  • One significant advantage is the ability of countries such as Brazil to be flexible on the degree of the mix depending on crude prices, varying it when energy prices spike, such as just after the Ukraine war.
• Associated problems:
  • When using ethanol, a flex fuel vehicle typically loses 4-8% of its fuel efficiency. While increased levels of ethanol reduce fuel economy, many flex fuel vehicles improve acceleration performance when operating on higher ethanol blends.
  • According to an NITI Aayog report, sugarcane accounted for more than 90% of total ethanol produced in the country in 2019-20.
    • A major issue with ethanol blending is that crops like sugarcane require a lot of water in a country with scarce fresh water resources.