Flexi-Fuel Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicles (FFV-SHEV)

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• The Union minister for Road, Transport and Highways recently launched Toyota’s first of its kind pilot project on Flexi-Fuel Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicles (FFV-SHEV) in India. 

Flexi-Fuel Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicles (FFV-SHEV): 

• Characteristic features:
  • An FFV SHEV has a flex-fuel engine and an electric powertrain.
    • It thus provides a dual benefit of higher ethanol use and greater fuel efficiency, as it can run for a significant time period on its EV mode, wherein the engine is shut off.
  • These vehicles will run on 100% petrol as well as 20-100% blended ethanol and electric power.
• Significance:
  • Pollution:
    • Pollution is a big concern in India and the transport sector is contributing to pollution.
    • Therefore, there is a need to encourage use of electric vehicles and vehicles that run on biofuels like ethanol and methanol.
  • AtmaNirbhar Bharat:
    • 6% to 8% increase in agricultural growth rate is necessary for ‘AtmaNirbhar’ Bharat. 
    • It is important to convert surplus foodgrain and sugar into ethanol to boost the rural economy.
  • Ecosystem of electric vehicles:
    • Success of this pilot project will create an ecosystem of electric vehicles. 
• Global availability:
  • Flex-fuel vehicles are available in Brazil, the USA and Canada.
  • Ethanol is a major alternate fuel used globally and Brazil has the highest average blending of 48 per cent.

More about Ethanol & Ethanol blending

• What is Ethanol?
  • Ethanol can be produced from crops that have high starch content like sugarcane, maize, wheat, etc.
  • It is primarily produced from molasses, a derivative of sugar production. 
  • It is among the most important biofuels
• Ethanol blending:
  • Ethanol can be mixed with gasoline to form different blends. 
  • This blending is done by the oil marketing companies in their terminals. Once blended, the ethanol cannot be separated from the petrol.
  • Benefits:
    • As the ethanol molecule contains oxygen, it allows the engine to more completely combust the fuel, resulting in fewer emissions and thereby reducing the occurrence of environmental pollution. 
    • Since ethanol is produced from plants that harness the power of the sun, ethanol is also considered a renewable fuel.

Source: TH