New Delhi, 24 September 2026: In an event organized in Delhi, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had given a big statement regarding the use of ethanol and flex-fuel vehicles. He said that ethanol is currently being used successfully in 19 countries of the world. This new car of Toyota company will run completely (100%) on ethanol. Due to the cheaper rate of ethanol, the fuel cost of running this vehicle is approximately Rs. per liter compared to normal petrol. Only around 25 will come.
It is noteworthy that in August 2023, an electrified flex-fuel prototype based on Innova Hycross was presented in Delhi by 'Toyota Kirloskar Motor'. The vehicle features a 'Strong Hybrid' electrified powertrain with a flex-fuel engine that can run smoothly on ethanol blends higher than E20. According to the company's testing report, due to this hybrid system, the vehicle can travel approximately 60 percent of the distance with the engine off and 40 percent of the distance in electric mode.
Nitin Gadkari had further added that the increasing consumption of ethanol is providing huge economic support to the country's agricultural sector. Due to the government's decision to make ethanol from corn, farmers of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar will earn about Rs. There has been a direct economic benefit of Rs 45,000 crore. The government's priority is to reduce dependence on conventional crude oil by promoting domestic ethanol production.
- Fivefold increase in ethanol production capacity in 12 years
According to Petroleum Ministry data, in the last decade the government has increased the use of agricultural products like sorghum, damaged grains, corn and surplus rice for ethanol production. As a result, the ethanol production capacity in the country was only 421 crore liters in the year 2014, which has increased to approximately 2,000 crore liters in 2026.