New Delhi | Maruti Suzuki India on Thursday launched India's first flex-fuel passenger vehicle, introducing a version of its Wagon R Flex Fuel capable of running on ethanol-petrol blends ranging from E20 to E100, as the country seeks to reduce crude oil imports and lower carbon emissions.

India has been promoting ethanol-blended petrol as part of its strategy to reduce dependence on imported crude oil, one of the biggest contributors to its current account deficit. The country has already rolled out E20 fuel, containing 20 per cent ethanol and 80 per cent petrol, and is now exploring higher ethanol blends using biofuel produced from feedstocks such as sugarcane, maize and surplus rice.

Flex-fuel vehicles are designed to run on higher ethanol blends such as E85 (85 per cent ethanol, 15 per cent petrol) and E100 (near 100 per cent ethanol), unlike conventional petrol vehicles currently approved for lower ethanol concentrations.

The country's largest carmaker said the vehicle features an advanced engine control unit (ECU) that automatically adapts to varying ethanol blends, allowing customers to operate the car on any mix of petrol and ethanol.

"Long-term dependence on imported crude oil cannot be an option. We need solutions that are cleaner, affordable, scalable and based on India's own strengths," said Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Maruti Suzuki India.

While Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said flex-fuel vehicles could create sustained demand for ethanol while supporting farmers, industry and environmental goals, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri stated that India's ethanol programme had strengthened energy security and created new opportunities for the rural economy.

Puri said the government expects the number of ethanol dispensing stations to rise from an initial 50-100 outlets in cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur to about 500 by the end of 2026 and around 5,000 by the end of 2027.

Major automakers, including Toyota Motor Corporation, Tata Motors, and Hyundai Motor Company, are also developing flex-fuel vehicles for the Indian market as policymakers push to reduce the country's fossil fuel import bill.

On Wednesday, Hero MotoCorp launched India's first flex-fuel motorcycles -- the Splendor+ and HF Deluxe -- capable of running on petrol blended with up to 85 per cent ethanol.

Flex fuel will help meet India's twin goal of cutting crude oil imports and reducing carbon emissions, Takeuchi said.

It, however, requires an entire ecosystem -- from fuel availability to more model launches for large-scale adoption -- he said.

Noting that India is at a critical point, Takeuchi recollected Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to citizens to save fuel and reduce import dependence. For both objectives, achieving energy security with scale and speed is crucial, he said.

"Maruti Suzuki is taking the first big step with the launch of India's first flexfuel car. We invite the leaders of all stakeholders, including the oil marketing companies and ethanol producers, to join us in this nation-building journey," he said.

Gadkari said India imports a large quantity of crude oil every year, and biofuels like ethanol are an important pathway towards reducing this dependence while strengthening the country's rural economy.

"Flex-fuel vehicles can create a strong and sustainable demand for ethanol, benefiting our farmers, industry, and the environment together."

India's ethanol journey is unstoppable, Puri said. "We have transformed our farmers from 'annadatas' to 'urjadatas', while strengthening India's energy security."

The minister said flex-fuel vehicles are a win-win for the nation -- reducing crude oil import dependence, saving valuable foreign exchange, lowering emissions, and creating new opportunities for rural prosperity.

In the current scenario when the West Asia conflict has left countries, including India, vulnerable to the energy crisis, flex-fuel vehicles assume all the more importance.

Puri noted that India has already raised ethanol blending in petrol from 1.5 per cent in 2014 to 20 per cent, resulting in foreign exchange savings of Rs 1.84 lakh crore through the substitution of 302 lakh metric tonne of crude oil.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has proposed amendments to vehicle emission rules to widen the scope for higher ethanol blends and alternative fuels, paving the way for flex-fuel and pure biofuel vehicles across vehicle categories.

The draft changes to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, aim to provide for wider use of fuels, such as E85 and E100, as well as B100 biodiesel and hydrogen-CNG combinations.