Toyota Kirloskar Motor has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) to create awareness and promote the use of ethanol as a sustainable biofuel in India.
The MoU was exchanged in the presence of Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, along with the other key government officials and dignitaries, at an event that marked the 120 years of establishment of first sugar mill in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Sudeep S. Dalvi – Senior VP and Chief Communication Officer was present during this occasion.
At the event, the OEM demonstrated its flexi-fuel strong hybrid electric vehicle along with an experiential drive.
ISMA, the interface between Indian government and the Sugar Industry in the country is instrumental in production of ethanol and plays an important role, including enabling requisite ethanol fuel availability in the country. Through this MoU, TKM and ISMA aim to accelerate the adoption of ethanol as an indigenous alternate clean fuel, thereby contributing to our nation’s goal to lower its dependence on fossil fuels as well as its carbon footprints.
The partners say being agriculture based and domestically produced fuel-source, higher use of ethanol will increase farmer incomes and create new jobs, thereby boosting the agrarian economy besides reducing the fossil fuel imports. The government also recently launched second-generation technologies for producing ethanol from agricultural residues like Agriculture waste (parali), which is currently otherwise burnt.
The government of India has been actively promoting the use of ethanol as a biofuel and has set an ambitious target to achieve 20 percent ethanol blending in gasoline by 2025. By 2025–2026, it is expected that 86 million barrels of gasoline will be replaced by 20 percent ethanol, saving India Rs 30,000 crore in foreign exchange and reducing carbon emissions by 10 million tonnes. These benefits can be enhanced significantly with the advent of flexi fuel vehicle technologies, which can flexibly use higher ethanol blends from 20 percent to 85 percent, given the enormous potential of ethanol production that exists beyond capacity for E20 blends.
“In our constant endeavour to promote the adoption of sustainable mobility solutions across regions, we at Toyota believe that it is crucial to amplify in-depth understanding about ways and means to combat carbon emissions, beyond providing technologically advanced solutions, while achieving goals of Carbon Neutrality. Today, we are proud to collaborate with ISMA to popularise the use of ethanol being a clean and sustainable biofuel source, for the automotive industry in India.”
“TKM is continuously studying various advanced powertrains that promote green technologies as well as energy self-reliance. The flexi-fuel strong hybrid electric vehicle being an electrified technology combines the best of both the worlds – electrified as well as alternate fuel ethanol pathways. To elaborate, the electrified flexi fuel vehicle has both the flexi-fuel engine and electric powertrain, thereby will enable the demand creation for alternate fuel and electric vehicle parts manufacturing ecosystem. The FFV-SHEV technology enables better fuel efficiency with faster reduction of fossil fuel consumption & CO2 emissions,” said Dalvi.
Aditya Jhunjhunwala, President, Indian Sugar Mills Association said, “We look forward to working together to enhance the Ethanol awareness and encourage its wider adoption as a fuel in India. Ethanol is a vital part of India’s energy mix, and with this joint effort, we are hopeful to contribute better to the larger goal of achieving self-reliance in energy. This will go a long way in contributing to a cleaner, greener environment.”
