Brazil keen on working with India on flexible fuel vehicles, says envoy

Brazil is keen to work with India on the introduction of flexible fuel vehicles, and share it’s long experience in the field, Andre Aranha Correa do Lago, Brazilian Ambassador to India has said.

Speaking at a conference on sugar and ethanol organised by the Indian Sugar Mills Association on Wednesday, the Ambassador said next year will be the 20th year of flexible fuel vehicles being introduced in Brazil. 92 percent of light vehicles currently sold in the country are of the flexible fuel variety, he added.

Flexible-fuel vehicles or dual-fuel vehicles are an alternative fuel vehicle with an internal combustion engine designed to run on more than one fuel, usually gasoline blended with either ethanol or methanol fuel, and both fuels are stored in the same common tank.

“Ethanol has a remarkably positive impact on reducing carbon emission.

We now have in India one flexible fuel car (hybrid) that has arrived and will undergo official tests by Indian authorities,” the Ambassador said.

Both countries are also working on an alliance in biofuels and bio energy.

Speaking at the same event, Plinio Nastari, President of Brazilian agro business analytics major DATAGRO said the adoption of flexible fuel vehicles will be important for India since the country is the fourth largest user of fuel for transportation in the world.

Nastari is a global expert on transition towards alternate fuels for transportation and suggested that India should have a single fuel grade ethanol specification for the purpose of blending ethanol in vehicle fuels, and its distribution as pure ethanol.

“India can learn from the experience of Brazil and other Nations such as the United States to leapfrog in its transport fuel transformation. India should use E100 (100 percent ethanol, 0 percent gasoline) standards for flexible fuel fleets,” he said.

More ethanol blending

Brazil is considered to be a key partner in India’s aim towards achieving 20 percent ethanol blending by 2025. The Ambassador said energy continues to be a focus area in bilateral relations.

Apart from being the largest producer of ethanol in the world Brazil is also the second largest producer of sugar, India being the largest. Land earmarked for cultivation of sugar which goes into the production of ethanol occupies 0.8 percent of Brazil’s territory.

Brazil has completed more than 40 years of blending ethanol upwards of 20 percent. “The first generation of sugarcane based ethanol is classified as an advanced biofuel. But we also need to work on the second generation,” do Lago said.