Nitin Gadkari launches Toyota’s pilot project on Flex-Fuel Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicles (FFV-SHEV) in India

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Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari launched Toyota’s first of its kind pilot project on Flex-Fuel Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicles (FFV-SHEV) in India on 11 October 2022,  which would run on 100% petrol as well as 20 to 100% blended ethanol and electric power.

The Toyota car which was unveiled by the minister has been imported from Toyota Brazil. Flex-fuel vehicles are at present available in Brazil, the USA and Canada.

Ethanol in India is mainly derived from molasses of the sugarcane.

An FFV SHEV has a flex-fuel engine and an electric powertrain, providing dual benefit of higher ethanol use and greater fuel efficiency. It can run for a significant time period on its Electric Vehicle mode, wherein the engine is shut off.

Flex-fuel compatible cars can run on more than one type of fuel and also a mixture of fuel. It typically runs on a blend of petrol and ethanol or methanol is used.

FFVs provide an opportunity of greater substitution of petrol by ethanol as it is capable of using any of the higher blends of ethanol mix from 20 per cent up to 100 per cent.

Toyota was also the first company in India to launch India's first green hydrogen-based advanced fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), Toyota Mirai. 

Toyota Motor Company of Japan has a joint venture with Kirloskar in India and the company is called as Toyota Kirloskar Motor ltd.