Nitin Gadkari Unveils BS6 Phase 2-Compliant Flex-Fuel Toyota Innova Hycross Strong-Hybrid Prototype

This prototype can run on up to 85 percent ethanol blend, and 60 percent of the total output is taken care of by EV power, courtesy the hybrid system, in certain test conditions

• This prototype gets the 186PS 2-litre strong-hybrid petrol engine.

• The same has been modified to be compatible with the chemical differences of a high-blend of ethanol compared to regular petrol.

• A 20 percent ethanol blend produces 14 percent less PM2.5 emissions than petrol.

• Ethanol is more affordable than petrol as it is mostly made from organic materials like sugarcane.

• The prototype still needs to go through further tests and calibrations before being homologated to make it ready for Indian roads.

Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, has unveiled the prototype of the flex-fuel Toyota Innova Hycross hybrid which can run on up to 85 percent ethanol blend fuel. This prototype is the first in the world to be compliant with the updated BS6 Phase 2 emission norms, which are stricter than those in nations that already sell E85-compliant vehicles. Here’s everything else you need to know about the flex-fuel Innova Hycross prototype.

Cleaner Powertrain

The flex-fuel Hycross uses the same 2-litre strong-hybrid powertrain engine as offered in the regular Toyota hybrid MPV. In this case, the engine has been adapted to run on an ethanol blend of up to 85 percent (E85), leaving the remaining 15 percent for petrol, therefore making it a lot more eco-friendly than a pure ICE powertrain. Toyota states that this setup will be electronically controlled for a similar performance output of 186PS even on the greener fuel.

Benefits

Since ethanol is a cleaner fuel than petrol or diesel, it results in lower emissions and less damage to the environment. As per Toyota, E20 fuels (20 percent ethanol blend) can reduce PM2.5 emissions by 14 percent compared to regular petrol. The electrified aspect of the prototype makes it even more eco-friendly as it counters the increased fuel consumption of ethanol compared to petrol, using the hybrid assistance to do around half of the driving duties. Therefore, an electrified ethanol powertrain will have even lower carbon emissions than just a vehicle running on 100 per cent biofuel.

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Ethanol being cheaper than petrol in many states can result in a lot of savings for the customer. Moreover, it’s also more affordable than fossil fuels and can be locally manufactured, as ethanol is mostly made out of organic resources like sugarcane, rice and bamboo. This is also why it is often referred to as a biofuel.

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Lastly, we are moving towards a greener future of mobility, which is focused on electric vehicles. However, making the transition from petrol/diesel to electric vehicles is not easy, and flex-fuel – along with hybrid vehicles – is the perfect middle ground to make this switch smoother and easier. It will also significantly reduce India’s energy imports and perhaps even allow the country to export some of its surplus biofuels.

This flex-fuel Innova Hycross is still a prototype and far away from a production-ready model. There are still many tests that need to be performed to get it ready for Indian roads, but it looks promising. Additionally, the higher degree of ethanol-blended fuel must also be readily available to make the most of this technology which is some years away. But first, we will have E20-compliant fuel and compatible vehicles by 2025. Let us know what you think about this prototype in the comments below.

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