India will soon have vehicles powered by flex-engines. The term flex-engine simplifies to flexible fuel vehicles which run on alternative fuel. The vehicle has internal combustion engine designed to run on more than one fuel.

Orders will be issued in the coming months by MORTH mandating all automobile manufacturers to power their vehicles with flex-engines. Nitin Gadkari, Union Minster for Road Transport and Highways has been advocating using natural energy sources and bio-fuels to reduce the negative impact on the environment. Alternative fuel is less polluting and is also cost-effective and saves forex as well.

Flex-engines usually run on gasoline blended with either ethanol or methanol fuel. Both fuels are stored in a common tank. The resulting blend is burnt in the combustion chamber generating power. Flexi fuel vehicle is different from bio-fuel vehicle. Bio-fuel vehicle uses 2 fuels stored in separate tanks and is comparatively costlier than flexi-fuel vehicle.

The Union Minister Gadkari said that customers will be provided a choice between using the conventional petrol-powered engines and those running on bioethanol. The Minister also said that because of the surplus production of crops like corn, maize, sugarcane and rice the country can produce bioethanol and a switch from the conventional to the alternative is essential.

(source:media reports)