- Big push expected in 2026
- Government pushing for a higher blend of ethanol
While EVs dominated the landscape of the Bharat Mobility Expo, another element that took limelight was flex fuel. The Indian government has been pushing for flex fuel alongside EVs, and it looks like some of the major players have stepped up to the crease to start their innings. While at the previous Bharat Mobility Expo, only Maruti Suzuki and Mahindra had flex-fuel models on display. This time, quite a few manufacturers displayed their flex-fuel wares. Most of these models were branded as concept cars but looked production-ready and could enter the market by 2025. Here are some highlights:
What is flex fuel?
Flex fuel is a blend of petrol and ethanol, which provides cleaner emissions and lower running and fuel costs. Globally, flex-fuel can be a mix of petrol and methanol or petrol and ethanol, the latter of which the Indian government has been pushing for. The current blend is for a ratio of 20 per cent ethanol to 80 per cent petrol, with an eventual push to 20 per cent petrol and 80 per cent ethanol.
Most of the hardware shares a resemblance with that of a regular ICE vehicle, with the addition of an extra ECU and sensors to detect when the fuel is blended or pure petrol. The ethanol-blend fuel is designated with an “E,” and currently, we are at E20, indicating a 20:80 ethanol to petrol ratio.
Stars at the Expo
Hyundai Creta Flex fuel
The Hyundai Creta has now moved beyond being just another SUV in Hyundai’s lineup to more or less a platform in itself. It can be had in petrol, turbo petrol, diesel, electric, and now flex fuel. Showcased at the expo, it uses a 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine, producing 118bhp and 172Nm of torque, and mated to a six-speed AT. It’s based on a top-spec model and is compatible with running on a blend of up to E100 i.e. 100 per cent ethanol fuel.
Tata Punch Flex fuel
Like the Creta, Tata is seeing great success with the Punch and has diversified it to be on petrol, CNG, electric and now flex fuel. The engine in question is Tata’s 1.2-litre NA petrol but no output figures have been given. However, we don’t expect the output figures to change much from the standard car and expect Tata to offer both AT and MT options with this engine when it is launched. The Punch is Tata’s most successful car in its 33 years as a private vehicle manufacturer. In fact, it managed to unseat the Maruti Suzuki Wagon R selling two lakh units as compared to the latter’s 1.91 lakh units in CY2024.
Mahindra XUV3XO flex fuel
The final car on our list is the Mahindra XUV3XO in a flex-fuel guise. Its predecessor, the XUV300 was showcased previously in flex-fuel guise and it only seemed logical that the 3XO get the same. There are no changes in design, but its 1.2-litre engine has been tuned and modified for the additional load. Output stands at 109bhp/200Nm and can be had with either a six-speed MT or a six-speed AMT. The engine is capable of running on a blend anywhere from E20 to E85.
