Govt will ask all vehicle makers to produce flex-fuel engines: Gadkari

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday said that the government will ask all vehicle manufacturers to make flex-fuel engines under the Euro VI emission norms in the next six-eight months.

Flex-fuel, or flexible fuel, is an alternative fuel made of a combination of gasoline and methanol or ethanol. Addressing an event, Gadkari further said in the next 15 years, Indian automobile industry will be worth Rs 15 lakh crore.

"We were planning to submit an affidavit in the Supreme Court to allow manufacturing of flex-fuel engines under the Euro IV emission norms...But now I feel that we will ask all vehicle manufacturers to make flex-fuel engines (that can run on more than one fuel) under the Euro VI emission norms in the next 6-8 months," he said.

Gadkari claimed that the cost of vehicles won't rise after making it mandatory for all vehicle manufacturers to make flex-fuel engines. The minister predicted that in the coming days, India will be able to export green hydrogen. The government in January, 2016 has decided to leapfrog directly from Euro IV emission norms for petrol and diesel to Euro VI standards.

An inter-ministerial group headed by Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on January 6, 2016 had taken the decision to advance the date by four years to April 1, 2020 for implementation of Bharat Stage VI (equivalent to Euro VI norms followed globally) for supply of cleaner auto fuel, by altogether skipping the Euro V grade norms.

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