Toyota HyCross flex-fuel MPV launched: Five key benefits of ethanol fuel

Toyota Motor has introduced world's first electrified flex-fuel Innova HyCross MPV that can run on fully ethanol fuel. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, while unveiling the prototype Innova HyCross model, said that ethanol will go a long way to revolutionise how vehicles are driven in India. Ethanol is currently available in India blended in fossil fuel like petrol. However, the Innova HyCross prototype shows that dependency on fossil fuel to run cars can be reduced in future. Here is a quick look at five benefits of using ethanol as fuel.

Low emission, lower pollution

Ethanol or ethanol-based fuel emit less pollution. The sugarcane or corn-based fuel releases very little carbon dioxide compared to fossil fuel like petrol and diesel. Vehicular pollution is one of the key reasons behind high carbon footprint. Use of alternative fuel like ethanol can help reduce pollution and have a positive impact on global warming.

Improved efficiency and performance

Vehicles running on flex-fuel like ethanol offer better fuel efficiency than the ones running on conventional fuel. According to Toyota Motor, the flex-fuel Innova HyCross will offer 30 to 50 per cent improved mileage than the standard models. While it may sound like a theory, Swedish supercar manufacturer Koenigsegg had proven that ethanol can help improve mileage and performance of vehicles. Koenigsegg CCX running on ethanol delivered a power of 1018 bhp compared to 806 bhp without the biofuel.

More affordable

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari explained how ethanol can be much more affordable fuel option than petrol and diesel. Citing the example of the Toyota Innova HyCross flex-fuel MPV, Gadkari said that effectively the ethanol used by the car will not cost more than ₹30 per litre. A litre of ethanol costs ₹60 which is much lower than petrol price which is hovering above ₹90 per litre in most parts of the country. Since the Innova HyCross flex-fuel also uses ethanol to generate electric power, the effective cost of it is much lower.

Price stability

Unlike fossil fuel like petrol and diesel, ethanol can be produced from bio waste. It does not have an expiry date like depleting fossil fuel reserve. Oil prices around the world fluctuate depending on mining capacity and other factors. Ethanol can be produced at home due to easy availability of raw materials like sugarcane and corn, especially in tropical regions like India.

Create jobs, boost economy

Ethanol fuel can actually help create jobs and help boost economy. On one hand, huge quantity of ethanol will require increase in production of raw materials like sugarcane and corn. To process the fuel, governments will need to set up industries which will help create more opportunities. On the other hand, reduced dependency on fossil fuel like petrol and diesel will drastically bring down costly imports of crude oil as well.