Development of Flex fuel Vehicle for Indian Market

This paper presents the methodology and outcomes of modifying a 1.2L naturally aspirated (NA) engine to enable flex-fuel compatibility, targeting optimal performance with ethanol blends ranging from E20 to E93. The road map for Ethanol Blending released by Govt of India call for progressively increase in ethanol blending in gasoline, with a target of 20% by April 2025. Ethanol is promoted as a renewable fuel due to its potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provides an additional source of income for farmers. This work is in alignment with the broader push for development of flex-fuel vehicles, which necessitates engine adaptations capable of operating on varying ethanol blends. The primary objective was to retain the performance with E20 while mitigating the fuel consumption penalties when the vehicle is operating on higher ethanol concentrations upto E93. The engine upgrade incorporated key modifications, including optimizing the compression ratio, implementing Variable Valve Timing (VVT), enhancing the engine cooling system, and recalibrating engine parameters to ensure efficient operation across diverse ethanol blends.