On the eve of World Environment Day, Maruti Suzuki India Limited launched India's first flex-fuel vehicle on Thursday (4). The announcement was made in the presence of the Minister of Roads and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, and the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri. The model chosen to debut the technology was the Wagon R, one of the automaker's most traditional vehicles in the Indian market. The car was developed to operate on any mixture of ethanol and gasoline, from E20 (20% ethanol) to E100 (100% ethanol). According to the company, the initiative is aligned with the Indian government's objectives of increasing energy security, reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels and promoting more sustainable solutions for the transport sector. Maruti Suzuki highlighted that the Wagon R already has a history of using alternative fuels in the country, including versions powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). With the introduction of flex-fuel technology, the automaker seeks to expand fuel options for consumers and contribute to increasing the share of biofuels in the Indian energy matrix. In addition to environmental benefits, the Indian government believes that expanding the use of ethanol could significantly reduce oil imports and generate positive impacts for the agricultural sector by increasing demand for raw materials used in biofuel production.
This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.