Toyota Launches Flex-Fuel Pilot Project in India

Toyota Motor [7203:JP] has kicked off a pilot project for flex fuel-strong hybrid electric vehicle (FFV-SHEV) in Delhi, as reported by Reuters on October 11. The Toyota Corolla Altis FFV-SHEV, made by Toyota Kirloskar and using flex fuel technology, was also reveaEled at the event. The technique enables engines to run on fuel containing a larger proportion of ethanol, lowering gasoline consumption. According to Vikram Kirloska, vice chairman of Toyota Kirloskar, the pilot project would boost India’s energy independence and help the country meet its objective of being energy independent by 2047.

As part of its endeavor to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2070, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the country aims to achieve self-sufficiency in energy by 2047 and to become a world hub for hydrogen energy manufacture and export by 2047. In addition, the country has pushed for more automobiles to operate on ethanol fuel. In June 2021, the country declared a goal of achieving a 20% ethanol blend in gasoline by 2025, five years earlier than previously intended. Recently, India opened its first second-generation ethanol factory in Haryana, India’s northwest. Indian Oil Corporation [IOCL:IN] and Petronas Refinery and Petrochemical Corporation jointly invested INR9.99bn (USD120m) in the new ethanol project. The project intends to generate around 30m liters of ethanol per year from 200,000 tons of rice straw.

Sources:

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/toyota-launches-pilot-project-flex-fuel-vehicle-india-2022-10-11/

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/renewables/nitin-gadkari-launches-toyotas-pilot-project-on-flex-fuel-strong-hybrid-ev/articleshow/94784444.cms

https://www.sohu.com/a/481814696_334198

http://www.sinohytec.com/article.php?id=818

https://finance.sina.com.cn/money/bond/2022-06-24/doc-imizmscu8513720.shtml

https://chuangxin.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202208/15/WS62f9ffd4a3101c3ee7ae3cf8.html