Toyota has unveiled the world’s first BS-VI (Stage-II) electrified flex-fuel prototype automobile. The prototype automobile, based mostly on the favored Toyota Innova Hycross, is the primary automobile that mixes flex-fuel know-how with electrical mobility. The brand new automobile, based mostly on the Innova Hycross, is the primary automobile to come back with flex gasoline self charging robust hybrid (FFV-SHEV) know-how. Which means that other than being a flex-fuel powered automobile, it can additionally use an electrical powertrain to help the engine, providing higher gasoline effectivity whereas lowering the carbon footprint.
The brand new Innova Hycross protoype will make use of Ethanol, which is the cleaner various to gasoline, since it’s a biofuel produced from sugar and meals grains. The Innova Hycross FFV will even run on a flex-fuel engine, which can run on a mixture of Ethanol and Gasoline. At present, India has achieved an Ethanol mix of 11 p.c. A flex-fuel automobile can run on any blends of Ethanol which are greater than 20 p.c. Through the launch, Union Minister of Street Transport and Freeway, Nitin Gadkari, together with Union Ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and Mahendra Nath Pandey, stated that India will have the ability to domestically manufacture 20 p.c ethanol mix within the subsequent two 12 months by 2025.
Now, other than being a extra eco-friendly various to gasoline, Ethanol additionally has a better octane ranking, which reinforces the engine efficiency. Nonetheless, because it additionally has a decrease vitality content material, it implies that ethanol is not as environment friendly as gasoline. That is the place the electrical powertrain on the Innova Hycross BS-VI (Stage II) steps in, providing not solely a extra eco-friendly various to inner combustion engines, but additionally a extra environment friendly various.
Since it’s a hybrid and never a correct EV, it can additionally make use of minimal batteries, which implies that the corporate won’t should pay the excessive import duties on the automobile. The federal government goals to shift from inner combustion engines in direction of electrified FFVs, enabling a brand new manufacturing base for electrical automobiles.
WHAT IS A FLEX FUEL VEHICLE (FFV)?
Flex Gasoline vehicles are these that may run on totally different blends of gasoline, the commonest one being the ethanol-gasoline mix. Flex gasoline automobiles can run on each Ethanol and Gasoline, or a mix of the 2. As talked about above, FFVs can run on any ethanol-gasoline mix that goes past 20 p.c, that means that there’s 20 p.c ethanol and 80 p.c gasoline. The most typical ethanol mix proper now could be E85, which accommodates 85 p.c ethanol and 15 p.c gasoline.
FFVs can, nonetheless, run on common gasoline or any ethnol-gasoline mix past 20 p.c. FFVs normally have a sensor that may detect the ethanol content material within the gasoline that’s getting used. This permits the engine’s pc to regulate numerous parameters like gasoline injection and ignition timing to optimise efficiency for the precise mix of gasoline within the tank.
HOW IS NEW TOYOTA INNOVA HYCROSS FFV PROTOTYPE DIFFERENT?
When in comparison with common FFVs, the brand new prototype from Toyota is totally different because it additionally has an electrical powertrain that can help the FFV engine. This may assist cushion the shortage of effectivity that ethanol blends are normally recognized for, in addition to giving individuals the choice of operating the automobile on purely electrical.
The prototype from Toyota comes with FFV-SHEV know-how, which stands for Flex Gasoline Self Charging Sturdy Hybrid Know-how. The Toyota Innova Hycross BS VI (Stage-II) Electrified FFV will even preserve charging its battery when the automobile is shifting, with a purpose to provide the perfect effectivity with the smallest carbon footprint.