Published at January 13, 2023 by BikeJunction
Many of you may believe that electric vehicles are the way of the future as the automotive industry transitions from gas guzzlers to cleaner alternatives. That may be the case, but there are also alternatives to electric vehicles.
While there were many stylish electric bikes and fancy electric scooters on display at Auto Expo 2023, there was also a dedicated Ethanol Pavilion, which demonstrated that flex-fuel also has a chance to become a workable green alternative. Let's quickly examine each of these ethanol-powered bikes.
Seeing this Honda dual-sport motorcycle was undoubtedly a welcome surprise. Even though it has the same 291.7cc single-cylinder engine, it performs a little bit better thanks to its 25.6PS and 27.4Nm output. This has 1.2 PS and 0.4 Nm greater torque than a conventional motorcycle, and it uses fuel with an ethanol composition that ranges from 20 to 85%.
The TVS Apache RTR 200 Fi E100 from 2019 quickly comes to mind when thinking of ethanol-powered motorcycles. However, the Hosur-based bike manufacturer displayed a flex-fuel Apache RTR 160 4V at Auto Expo 2023 that operates on a mixture of 20-85% ethanol.
This environmentally friendly Bajaj Pulsar NS160 can run on fuel blends containing up to 85% ethanol. It has a 160.3cc engine with the same displacement, but it generates 16.9PS and 14.6Nm, 0.3PS less than the ordinary bike.
At the Expo, Team Blue also displayed a green vehicle, the flex-fuel Fazer FZ-15, built to Brazil's specifications (also known as the Yamaha FZ Fi in India). This bike differs greatly from the Indian-spec bike in that it can run on fuel with an ethanol blend of 20–100%.
The Gixxer 250 flex-fuel prototype was presented as a cane-juice-friendly avatar of the Japanese quarter-litre naked bike, dressed in colourful colours of silver and green. This green bike uses gasoline with an ethanol composition of up to 85% and has the exact same specifications as its gas-guzzling sibling in every way.
How could Hero MotoCorp fall behind when the major players in the Indian two-wheeler market are showing their ethanol-powered models? The Hero Glamour Xtec, a sporty 125cc commuter, was selected by the brand to represent it. The Glamour Xtec flex-fuel bike is also similar to the ordinary cycle in all respects, with the exception that it weighs one kilogramme more and uses fuel with an ethanol blend that ranges from 20 to 85%
All things considered, these flex-fuel motorcycles are a demonstration of how brands are prepared to pursue this option, which offers the ideal compromise between using ICE cars and going entirely electric. However, these motorcycles won't be economically viable until flex-fuel becomes more widely used. In accordance with the National Policy on Biofuels, India intends to blend 20% ethanol into gasoline for automobiles by 2025.
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