The Calls for Flex-engines Grow Louder

Years after directing two-wheeler manufacturers, the calls for deploying flex-engines across automotive segments grow louder.

- Ashish Bhatia

Flex-engines or dual-fuel engines are back in the spotlight. At the 60th SIAM Annual Convention, Minister of Road, Transport and Highways and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Nitin Gadkari drew the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers attention to the flex-engines yet again. Speaking on the Government's willingness to handover the industry a long-term regulatory roadmap and extend support in helping build the requisite infrastructure, he opined that the changing and advancing technology in the country had the potential to pave the way to make India a global export hub. The union minister pinpointed the flex-engine technology as a globally proven one and one that was deployed successfully by manufacturers. “I urge the industry to introduce flex-engine technology, a proven technology already being used by several companies in Brazil, the US, and in Canada,” he stated. Gadkari underlined the potential of flex-engines in helping the Government of India attains its twin-objective: curbing pollution and reducing crude oil imports. Among leading manufacturers of the Flex-Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) globally are Ford, Volkswagen, General Motors, Honda, Nissan, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Yamaha, and Toyota. Indian manufacturers like Maruti Suzuki and Tata Motors have also in the past, expressed the willingness to pursue alternative fuels starting with CNG as an intermediate step. Supporting OEMs in this endeavor are also component manufacturers like Bosch, BorgWarner, and MAHLE