New Delhi: To reduce the use of polluting fossil fuels, there are many ways to reduce pollution by keeping in mind to make a pollution-free country. Auto companies may soon be asked to manufacture passenger and commercial vehicles that run on multiple fuels like petrol, diesel, kerosene, propane, jet fuel or a mixture of any of them.

By the third quarter of the current year (FY22) new guidelines for use of flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) using flex engines is expected to be issued which would specify engine configuration and other changes required in vehicles to conform to stipulated changes in the fuel mix.

To promote the manufacture and use of flex engines in vehicles the government of India is fully working on an incentive scheme. The use of flexible-fuel vehicles is being actively looked at by the government to ensure increased use of bio-fuels for running vehicles,petroleum secretary, Trun Kapoor had told IANS earlier.

An FFV is a modified version of the vehicle that could run both on gasoline and doped petrol with different levels of ethanol blends. These are currently being used successfully in Brazil, giving people the option to switch fuel (gasoline and ethanol) depending on price and convenience. In fact, a majority of vehicles sold in Brazil are FFVs. For India, FFVs will present a different advantage as they will allow vehicles to use different blends of ethanol mixed petrol available in different parts of the country.

The current regulations allow for mixing up to 10 per cent ethanol in petrol. FFVs will allow vehicles to use all the blends and also run on unblended fuel.

The country is moving fast with an aim of E-20 or 20 per cent ethanol-blended petrol fuel that could be introduced at the very beginning of 2023  with a nationwide roll-out by 2025. FFVs are ready to face other challenges they have faced with the first adoption of electric vehicles. However, the adoption of FFVs will future-proof the design to adapt to any more changes in blending options and configuration.