The Government of India has been taking various steps in the field of petroleum and natural gas. Very soon, vehicles in the country will be running on ethanol, not petrol and diesel. With the same gumption, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the first commercial Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) filling station in Nagpur, Maharashtra.
During the inauguration ceremony, the Union minister said, “we are working on other fuels to give relief from the rising petrol price in the country. Increased use of alternative fuels like Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), and Ethanol will provide relief from the hike in petrol prices while adding that the use of Ethanol will also help in saving at least Rs 20 per litre as compared to petrol.”
Huge saving on the operational cost of vehicles is on the cards
Regarding LNG, the Union Minister said the average cost of converting a conventional truck engine to an LNG engine is Rs 10 lakh. Trucks or buses run about 98,000 km in a year, so after converting to LNG, there will be a saving of around Rs 11 lakh per vehicle in 9-10 months. Presently, India is spending 8 lakh crore rupees on the import of petrol-diesel and petroleum products.
Decision on ‘Flex Engine’ to be taken soon
While discussing flex engines, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said a decision will be taken within three months to make it mandatory for automobile manufacturers especially four-wheelers and two-wheelers to make flex engines. Presently, countries like the United States, Canada, and Brazil are already using Flex engines. Notably, the vehicle cost will remain the same whether it is petrol or a Flex engine.
Understanding Flex Engine
The Flexible fuel engine consists of an internal combustion engine and is capable of operating on gasoline and any blend of gasoline and ethanol up to 83 percent. The Flex engine has one fuel system, and most components are the same as those found in a conventional gasoline-only car.
The switch to locally-produced ethanol will be helpful for India which relies majorly on crude oil imports for powering the transport sector. Further, these engines cause less pollution and are cost-saving as well.
In terms of pricing, ethanol comes at between Rs 60-62 per liter as against the over Rs 100 paid for petrol. By using ethanol, people will be able to save Rs 30-35 per liter. Further, it will reduce dependence on polluting fossil fuels and will help in reducing the level of pollution in the country.
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