At the recently held 63rd edition of the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA), the Minister for Road Transport and Highways of the Government of India, Nitin Gadkari announced that he will be launching Toyota’s flex-fuel-powered vehicle in the country on 28 September.

While neither Toyota nor the minister has clarified on the model to get the flex-fuel powered engine, we expect it to be a sedan that could either be the Camry or the Corolla. Interestingly, the Japanese carmaker retails the Toyota Corolla hybrid in the international markets that is powered by a 2.0-litre petrol engine and is capable of running on E85 ethanol.

What are flex-fuel vehicles?

The vehicles running on flex-fuel engine can run on one or more than one types of fuel. In India, vehicles are already compatible of running on E10 fuel which means the fuel comprises 90 per cent petrol and 10 per cent ethanol. Flex-fuel engines have a dual benefit which means they can run on 100 per cent petrol or 100 per cent ethanol or on a mixture of both fuels.

The Government has also proposed to produce E20 fuel (80 per cent petrol, 20 per cent ethanol) by 2023 which means OEMs will be compelled to manufacture engines compatible to these standards.