Flex-fuel engines will become mandatory in coming days, says Nitin Gadkari

Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari has been stressing to substitute ethanol in vehicles as a cost-effective and pollution-free fuel and also stated that flex-fuel engines will become mandatory in the coming days. In a recently conducted event, Gadkari mentioned a Russian technology through which the calorific value of petrol and ethanol can be equalised. He went ahead to add that if this happens, all petrol pumps can be replaced with ethanol pumps giving the reference of western Maharashtra which is a major sugarcane belt.

Flex-fuel or flexible fuel is an alternative fuel made with combination gasoline, methanol or ethanol and a higher blend of ethanol in petrol will also help cut India's dependence on the import of oil and will be beneficial for sugarcane farmers as well as sugar mills. Gadkari stated that there are already three ethanol pumps in Pune and urged that the state government should allow auto-rickshaws that run on 100 per cent ethanol in western Maharashtra.

The road transport and highways minister also referred to his recent meeting with representatives of vehicle manufacturers Kirloskar and Toyota and said, “They have prepared cars with flex (flexible) engines. Flex engine means the use of 100 per cent petrol or ethanol. This has been made on the Euro 6 norms. I am going to make flex engines mandatory."

With fuel prices breaking a record every day, Gadkari added that people should steadily switch to flex-fuel as the price of it will be ₹62 and will be an import substitute that is cost-effective and environment-friendly. The minister also mentioned the use of green hydrogen technology and added that if green hydrogen technology is used by the cooperative sector before the corporate sector, then the latter will reap benefits.