First flex-fuel car unveiled in India

Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road, Transport & Highways, has unveiled Toyota Corolla Altis Flex-fuel car, which has been touted as first of its kind pilot project on Flexi-Fuel Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicles (FFV-SHEV) in India. This project intends to examine whether ethanol-powered flex fuel vehicles can be viable in Indian conditions.

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.

Gadkari didn’t shy away from getting behind the wheel and taking the left-hand-drive Corolla Altis hybrid to a spin at the launch venue. The flex-fuel sedan was imported from Toyota Brazil. Powered by a 1.8L ethanol petrol hybrid engine, it runs on fuel with ethanol content ranging between 20-100 percent while generating power output of nearly 101 bhp and torque performance of 142 Nm. The petrol engine is paired with a 1.3 kWh battery which churns out 72 bhp and 163 Nm. This powertrain combination is linked to a CVT gearbox.