“In the next 3 to 4 months, I will be issuing an order, mandating all vehicle manufacturers to power vehicles with flex engines (that can run on more than one fuel)” Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said today.

The Minister of Road Transport & Highways had highlighted the government’s plans to announce guidelines for flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) by the third quarter of current year (FY22), at an event earlier this month.

“We are committed to delivering vehicles with flex engine norms. We have taken a decision, we will make it mandatory by which there will be a flex-engine,” Gadkari had said.

Aimed at reducing the use of polluting fossil fuels and cutting down harmful emissions, such a move will also be cost-effective for consumers, who are hassled by the high petrol prices, the minister said, pointing out that a litre of bioethanol costs Rs 65 as against Rs 110 paid for petrol. The alternative fuel is also less polluting and saves forex.

State-run oil marketing companies have already been ordered to offer bio-fuels at the same facilities as the one selling petrol and diesel, he added.

The minister added the road ministry is also planning to run a railway, metro, and long-run intercity buses on green hydrogen.

“Both battery electric vehicle and fuel cell vehicle technologies are complementary to each other and are all set to overtake fossil-run automotive by 2050 in the country,” the minister said.

For auto companies, introduction of FFVs will pose yet another challenge in the fast adoption of electric vehicles. If standards on FFVs are made mandatory, it would require additional investment in production lines and technology transfers to change the character of the vehicles.

However, there is an upside. Adoption of FFVs will future-proof car designs to adopt any more changes in blending options and configuration.