We are all aware of the geopolitical tension and the effect it has on our lives. Recently, we heard reports where the government said that the chances of increasing fuel prices cannot be ruled out completely. We also saw how Union Minister Nitin Gadkari once again started promoting ethanol. He even went to the extent of saying that we should consider E100. While it may look good on paper, we all know that the vehicles that we have on our roads are not ready for such a change. In fact, we currently have only two motorcycles that are ready for flex fuels.
In 2024, Honda launched the CB 300F Flex Fuel in India. By flex fuel, we mean the bike is E85-compliant. The bike has been designed in such a manner that the engine can handle a mix of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent petrol.
In terms of design, the motorcycle remains the same. It gets the same naked street bike design with LED headlamps, a muscular fuel tank with shrouds, a sleek-looking rear with LED tail lamps and turn indicators, along with a chunky rear tyre, traction control, ABS, and more. The flex-fuel version of the CB 300F gets an extra indicator that would warn the rider in case the ethanol content exceeds 85 percent.
The motorcycle is powered by a 293cc, single-cylinder, oil-cooled engine that generates 24.5 bhp and 26 Nm of torque, and the engine is mated to a 6-speed gearbox. The bike was launched at Rs 1.7 lakh, ex-showroom.
The next bike on this list is also from a Japanese automaker. Suzuki launched the Gixxer SF 250 Flex Fuel last year in January at the Bharat Mobility Expo. Like the CB 300F, the Gixxer SF 250 is also capable of running on 85 percent ethanol-blended petrol.
In order to make the motorcycle E85-compliant, Suzuki has either modified or replaced the injector, fuel pump, ECU, intake and exhaust valves, fuel gauge, and fuel filter. The Gixxer SF 250 Flex Fuel is powered by a 250cc engine that generates 27.5 bhp and 22 Nm of torque.
As mentioned above, both these motorcycles are actually E85-compliant, but the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways recently came up with a proposal where they wanted to enable the use of E85 and E100 fuels in the country.
It is currently being presented as a strategy to reduce the country’s dependence on imported petroleum. The draft actually proposes amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, which would facilitate the smooth introduction of higher ethanol blends.
India already sells E20 petrol from all pumps across the country. Now, the authorities want to increase the ethanol blend. It is actually good news for the sugar lobby, as ethanol is produced from sugarcane. The government has invited public feedback on the draft, and a final decision will be taken only after that.
Increasing the ethanol blend to 85 or 100 is actually not feasible for a country like India, where there are lakhs of old vehicles on the road. A change in ethanol blend would simply mean that those vehicles would start showing issues and won’t work properly.
In a country like India, not everyone can afford a new car or even a two-wheeler. Currently most vehicles that we have on our roads are only compatible with E20 fuel.
Some of the old cars don’t even support that there have been reports where customers have complained online about the issues in their vehicle due to the ethanol blended fuel in the past.
Brands like Toyota and Maruti have actually been working on flex-fuel models, and they have even showcased some of their flex-fuel-compatible models in the past.
India’s TVS Motor Chairman and Managing Director, Sudarshan Venu, said that they are ready to launch flex-fuel models in the market when needed.
Brands like Royal Enfield are also working on flex-fuel models of the Classic and other bikes.
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