Toyota Corolla Altis Hybrid flex fuel unveiled: What is flex fuel and why govt is betting on it

Toyota has introduced the Corolla Altis Hybrid, the first flex fuel Hybrid car in India at the residence of the Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari. The new Corolla Altis, like the new Corolla for international markets, is equipped with the company's self-charging powerful hybrid system and a 1.8-liter flex-fuel engine.

The new Corolla Altis's internal combustion engine can use both petrol and ethanol. The permanent magnet synchronous electric motor and 1.3 kWh battery help the 1.8-litre engine produce 101 horsepower and 142.2 Nm of torque. The maximum power and torque of the electric motor is 72 horsepower and it can propel the vehicle for short distances. Power to the wheels occurs through a continuously variable transmission or commonly known as CVT.

What is Flex Fuel?
Vehicles with flexi-engine designs may run on a broad range of fuels, including those produced by mixing petrol with ethanol. The FFV-SHEV Corolla Altis goes a step farther with this idea, since it is also a Hybrid-electric vehicle and can run on 100% ethanol. A Flexi-ability engine's to operate on a broad range of fuels is due to its ability to adjust the fuel-to-air ratio depending on information from composition sensors.

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Benefits of using Flex Fuel?
Nitin Gadkari, India's Minister of Road Transport and Highways, has previously stated his intention to introduce flex fuel cars in the country in an effort to lower the country's pollution levels. More farmers, in his view, will benefit from the introduction of the flex fuel powered car. However, the initiative is still in its early phases of testing cleaner fuel, thus it is unclear when it might be adopted.