Flex-fuel Toyota Corolla to Be Showcased in India on September 28

September 28, 2022

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(Autocar India) Union Minister Nitin Gadkari will unveil the Toyota Corolla flex-fuel model at an event in Delhi. -- Toyota will showcase the first flex-fuel-powered car in India on September 28. The car that will be unveiled at this event will be a Toyota Corolla hybrid, which is currently on sale in markets like Brazil where the model is tuned to be used with ethanol-blended fuel. Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari will unveil the car at an event in Delhi.

Latest-gen Corolla hybrid with flex-fuel engine to be unveiled in Delhi
Gets a 2.0-litre petrol engine with strong hybrid tech

Toyota Corolla hybrid flex-fuel: what is it?

Speaking at the 62nd annual session of the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA) earlier this month, the minister himself had announced that he will unveil the first flex-fuel car in India in September. Though he had said that it will be a Camry with flex-fuel tech, we can confirm that it will instead be a Corolla hybrid.

Sources tell us that the model that will be shown here will be the latest-generation of the Corolla sedan. The car is powered by Toyota’s 2.0-litre petrol engine capable of running on E85 ethanol, along with a strong hybrid technology.

Toyota Corolla hybrid flex-fuel: will this be India’s first such car?

Not really; the model that will be showcased in India will be the one that is sold in Brazil, which means it will be a left-hand-drive Corolla. It will be used as a technology demonstrator for Toyota in India, similar to the hydrogen-powered Toyota Mirai that was showcased here back in March.

Flex-fuel technology: Brazil to work with India

At the SIAM convention, further to Gadkari’s call to automakers to develop flex-fuel vehicles, the Brazilian Ambassador to India, Andre Aranha Correa Do Lago, said his country would work with India on flex-fuel technology as well as other fuels like sustainable aviation fuels and hybrid flex-fuel vehicles.

The Brazilian ambassador's statement is of significance given that the South American nation is a leader in flex-fuels, having mandated ethanol-blended fuel as far back as the late 1970s. The country is also the second largest producer of ethanol in the world, the US being the largest. Hence, Brazil’s expertise would go a long way in furthering India’s plans for ethanol-blended fuel.

Toyota to Launch India’s Trial Flex Fuel Car Project Today: All You Need to Know (CNBCTV18.com)

Toyota To Launch India’s First Flex-Fuel Car On Wednesday; Will Run On Ethanol -- India’s First Flex-Fuel Car: India's first flex-fuel car will be launched on Wednesday (India.com)

India to get its first flex-fuel car by Toyota tomorrow (Economic Times)

Toyota launches pilot project for flex fuel vehicle in India (Reuters)

Nitin Gadkari launches Toyota Corolla Altis Hybrid Ethanol-ready flex fuel vehicle (Zee News)

Flex-Fuel pilot project launched, Toyota’s car will run on up to 83% ethanol bladed fuel! (Hindustan News Hub)

Launch of Toyota’s first of its kind pilot project on Flexi-Fuel Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicles (FFV-SHEV) in India (Toyota)

Excerpt from India.com: The US Department of Energy reported that the car’s performance improved when a high ethanol blend was added to the fuel.

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Some modifications have been made to the fuel pump and fuel injection system. To use the high oxygen content of ethanol, an engine control module was installed in it. This module will monitor and control the fuel mixer, ignition timing, and emission system. The engine will give a warning on overuse and will also detect other problems in the vehicle.

What are the advantages of this car?

Flex-fuel car owners can switch their vehicles to ethanol whenever they want. They will have more options than petrol vehicles and they will be able to choose cheaper fuel. While petrol is costlier than Rs 100 a liter in India, ethanol is being sold at Rs 55 a litre. The use of these cars will also reduce India’s fuel dependence on other countries. READ MORE

Excerpt from Toyota: There are many green energy pathways in electrification and alternate fuels that can help the transportation sector lower its dependence on fossil fuels, along with reducing its carbon footprint. Toyota has developed all clean technologies and believes in introducing these based on each country’s unique requirements and context, so as to minimize fossil fuel usage and achieve carbon reduction in the fastest possible time. Towards this direction, given India’s energy mix, its unique consumer profile and needs, infrastructure readiness, and the Government’s diversified efforts towards becoming ‘Atma Nirbhar’ in energy by 2047, we are advancing solutions with greater agility, thereby introducing and supporting multiple clean technology pathways.

As one of the most appropriate solutions, ethanol holds tremendous potential for India as it is an Indigenous and clean energy source, that can significantly reduce fossil fuel consumption, the energy import bill and carbon emissions. Being agriculture based, higher use of ethanol as fuel will also increase farmer incomes and create new jobs, thereby boosting the rural economy besides increasing revenue for the Government from surplus sugar and food grains. The Government has recently launched second-generation technologies for producing ethanol from agricultural residues like parali, which is currently otherwise burnt. This possibility will not only prevent severe air pollution but also help generate wealth from waste.

India has already achieved 10% ethanol blending five months ahead of schedule. The implementation of 20% ethanol blending in petrol by 2025-26 is expected to substitute 86 million barrels of Gasoline, thereby leading to forex savings of Rs. 30,000 crores for India, as well as reducing 10 Million tons of carbon emissions. Given the huge potential of ethanol production that exists up to and beyond E20, these benefits can increase multi-fold with the introduction of Flexi Fuel Vehicle (FFV) technology, that can flexibly use higher ethanol blends from 20% to 85%.

Globally, many countries like Brazil have hugely benefited from large scale introduction of FFVs. In fact, in Brazil an innovative Flexi fuel-strong Hybrid electric vehicle technology (FFV - SHEV) has been introduced by Toyota Brazil, which has the lowest Well-to-Wheel (W2W) carbon emissions for any technology in the country. An FFV– SHEV has a Flexi Fuel engine and an electric powertrain, thus providing dual benefit of higher ethanol use and greater fuel efficiency, as it can run for significant time periods on its EV mode, wherein the engine is shut off. The FFV-SHEV has much higher economic multiplier benefits, as it can hasten local manufacturing of electric and flexi-fuel powertrain parts, thus providing a disruption free & low risk industry and energy transition. As this technology provides the opportunity to benefit from both electrification and bio-fuel energy pathways, it enables a faster reduction of fossil fuel consumption, CO2 emissions, as well as boosting the agrarian economy.

In this background, Toyota today launched the pilot project on Flexi-Fuel Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicle Technology in Delhi. The Company was highly motivated and truly grateful for the gracious presence and strong support of Hon’ble Shri. Nitin Jairam Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Hon’ble Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, Union Minister of Heavy Industries, Hon’ble Shri. Bhupinder Yadav, Union Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change and Hon’ble Shri. Rameswar Teli, Minister of State for Petroleum & Natural Gas - Government of Delhi, at this important occasion, which was also witnessed by other key government dignitaries, high-ranking diplomats, industry leaders, academia along with senior executives of Toyota Kirloskar Motor, Mr Masakazu Yoshimura, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Vikram S Kirloskar - Vice Chairman, Mr. Vikram Gulati - Executive Vice President and Mr. Sudeep S. Dalvi - Senior Vice President and Chief Communication Officer.

During the launch, the Toyota Corolla Altis FFV-SHEV, that has been imported from Toyota Brazil for the pilot project was unveiled. This initiative marks Toyota’s first step to promote and create awareness on Ethanol as an important indigenous, carbon neutral energy pathway, along with the advanced Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicle technology of Toyota that can help India achieve true self-reliance, and contribute towards the national target of Carbon Net-Zero by 2070. Further, as a part of this project, collected data will be shared with the prestigious Indian Institute of Science, for conducting a deeper study about the well-to-wheel carbon emissions of FFV / FFV-SHEV in the Indian context. In this regard, a Memorandum of Understanding was also signed between Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) and the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. READ MORE