Flex Fuel Vehicle will become a petrol car for just Rs 15,000, now your old car will run on E85 and E100.

Ethanol Vehicle Conversion: A big step can be taken towards promoting ethanol blended fuel in the country. In which the Indian Sugar and Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA) has proposed an ethanol conversion kit with the help of which existing petrol cars can be upgraded to run on flex-fuel like E85 and E100. In such a situation, if this technology is approved then millions of vehicle owners will not need to buy new flex-fuel cars. At the same time, ISMA claims that after the start of local production, the starting price of this kit can be kept at around Rs 15,000, which is much cheaper than buying a new flex-fuel car.

Successful test conducted on Maruti Dezire

Let us tell you that to test this technology, ISMA ordered ethanol conversion kit from abroad and took the cooperation of IIT Delhi in the testing. For testing which BS4 standard Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire was used. Now reports are coming out that the car was driven for about 5,000 to 10,000 kilometers on different ethanol blend fuels like E20, E85 and E100. During testing, no major technical damage was revealed in the vehicle. ISMA says that a properly designed and calibrated kit can convert BS4 and BS6 petrol vehicles into flex-fuel vehicles.

How does this conversion kit work?

Talking about the ethanol conversion kit, it includes many technical changes like ethanol sensor, engine control software, fuel injection settings, cold start system and ignition timing. Because ethanol has lower energy efficiency than petrol, the engine requires more fuel to deliver the same performance. This is why changes in the vehicle’s software and fuel system become necessary.

Can the work really be done in Rs 15,000?

Looking at this type of work, experts say that the cost of the kit alone can be Rs 15,000 but the cost of installation, inspection, certification and replacement of some additional parts can also be added. In such a situation, the actual cost may be higher than this. But this option can prove to be quite good for taxi operators, vehicle owners covering long distances and old BS4-BS6 cars.

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Sale of E85 petrol has started in the country

As everyone knows that the sale of E85 fuel has started in India from June 2026. Currently it is available at 48 petrol pumps. The government aims to increase it to 500 petrol pumps by December 2026 and to around 5,000 petrol pumps by the end of 2027. Let us tell you that at present the price of E85 is about Rs 20 per liter less than normal petrol. However, its actual savings depend on the vehicle’s mileage and usage pattern. But if the plan is successful, India’s alternative fuel mission can get a big boost.