PUNE: The adoption of flexible fuel cars is the next big step for India as far as increasing the use of biofuels is concerned. The Global Biofuel Alliance will aid the country in taking a step in that direction, industry experts said.
In the recently concluded G20 summit hosted by India, 19 countries and 12 international organisations agreed to join the alliance, which aims to support the development and deployment of sustainable biofuels through capacity building as well as sharing of technology and policy lessons.The alliance provides an opportuninty for Indian companies to form joint ventures with entities of other countries, where the latter can learn from India as to how to quickly scale biofuel capacity, according to Praj Industries MD & CEO Shishir Joshipura.
Vehicles that are currently plying on Indian roads do not need any kind of structural changes for the use of 20% blended ethanol. But going ahead, flexible fuel technology will be required to be brought in India in a big way. That is one areas where joint ventures can happen between countries like the US and Brazil, said president of National Federation of Cooperatives of Sugar Factories Prakash Naiknavare.
For instance, Brazil offers tax incentives for ethanol production and flexible fuel cars, which comprises nearly 90% of the country’s light-duty vehicle fleet. This allows consumers to choose higher ethanol blends when prices are favourable, as per a report by International Energy Agency.
“Brazil has taken a lead in helping understand interactions between different ecosystems. They have experimented with a fully flex fuel vehicle, with E-85 being the norm in the country. We can learn from them about the dispensation of biofuels and adoption of automobiles on a national level,” Joshipura said.
India is encouraging flex-fuel vehicles and the development of an electric flex-fuel car is a right step in that direction, Naiknavare said. As of April, there are 2 crore flex-fuel vehicles in India, but access to E-20 fuel remains sporadic and available at only 100 stations in certain metropolitan cities, according to reports by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). India’s 2018 policy on biofuels aims for 20% blending by 2025. So far, it has achieved 11.77% blending.
In the recently concluded G20 summit hosted by India, 19 countries and 12 international organisations agreed to join the alliance, which aims to support the development and deployment of sustainable biofuels through capacity building as well as sharing of technology and policy lessons.The alliance provides an opportuninty for Indian companies to form joint ventures with entities of other countries, where the latter can learn from India as to how to quickly scale biofuel capacity, according to Praj Industries MD & CEO Shishir Joshipura.
Vehicles that are currently plying on Indian roads do not need any kind of structural changes for the use of 20% blended ethanol. But going ahead, flexible fuel technology will be required to be brought in India in a big way. That is one areas where joint ventures can happen between countries like the US and Brazil, said president of National Federation of Cooperatives of Sugar Factories Prakash Naiknavare.
For instance, Brazil offers tax incentives for ethanol production and flexible fuel cars, which comprises nearly 90% of the country’s light-duty vehicle fleet. This allows consumers to choose higher ethanol blends when prices are favourable, as per a report by International Energy Agency.
“Brazil has taken a lead in helping understand interactions between different ecosystems. They have experimented with a fully flex fuel vehicle, with E-85 being the norm in the country. We can learn from them about the dispensation of biofuels and adoption of automobiles on a national level,” Joshipura said.
India is encouraging flex-fuel vehicles and the development of an electric flex-fuel car is a right step in that direction, Naiknavare said. As of April, there are 2 crore flex-fuel vehicles in India, but access to E-20 fuel remains sporadic and available at only 100 stations in certain metropolitan cities, according to reports by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). India’s 2018 policy on biofuels aims for 20% blending by 2025. So far, it has achieved 11.77% blending.
