Flexible Fuel/Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFVs)
What is flexible fuel?
Flex fuel, or flexible fuel, is an alternative fuel made from a combination of gasoline and methanol or ethanol. Flex-fuel vehicles are those with internal combustion engines designed to run on more than one type of fuel.
Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFVs)
Flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) have an internal combustion engine capable of running on gasoline and an ethanol-gasoline blend (83% ethanol). Flexible fuel (E85) is a blend of gasoline and ethanol. Contains 51% to 83% ethanol, which also depends on the area and season. At present, about 3 crore FFVs have been produced.
FFVs have a single fuel system, most of which have the same components as their conventional engine technology, except that some important ethanol-compatible components are required so that the chemical reactions and energy power caused by ethanol do not harm our engine. Some changes are made to the fuel pump and fuel injection system.
Names of some main parts of FFVs:
- Electronic Control Module (ECM): The ECM controls the fuel mixture, ignition timing, and emissions system, as well as monitors vehicle operation and troubleshooting to extend engine life.
- Fuel Injection System: This device sends fuel to the combustion chamber of the engine to be burned.
- Exhaust System: This system reduces engine emissions by using a 3-way catalyst.
Benefits of flexible fuels
- Reduction of pollution in the environment
- Advanced Technology (Electronic Sensors, Microprocessors)
- Reducing dependency on non-renewable energy source
- Improvement in engine performance
- Reduction in maintenance cost
- Economical
