Throwback To The TVS Apache RTR 200 Fi E100: The Flex Fuel-Ready Indian Motorcycle

Flex-fuel vehicles can either run entirely on ethanol or a blend of petrol and ethanol 

Skyrocketing fuel prices have put buyers in a predicament. One could switch to greener means of transportation, i.e. electric vehicles, or use cheaper flex fuels to power conventional two-wheelers. The only problem is, the latter isn’t readily available at the moment. But Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport & Highways, says that could change rather quickly. 

The government is currently pushing manufacturers to start producing engines that could run on flex fuel. Simply put, a flex-fuel vehicle could either run entirely on ethanol or a mix of petrol and ethanol. The calorie value concentration is lower in the latter, requiring a higher quantity to be burned for optimum combustion. Here’s the difference between ethanol and petrol-powered two-wheelers.

According to Gadkari, the country produces surplus rice and wheat, which could be used to produce ethanol. It can also be extracted now from corn and food grains. The National Policy on Biofuels, approved in 2018, aims at blending 10 percent ethanol in petrol by 2022 and 20 percent by 2025. At present, about 8.5 percent of ethanol is mixed with petrol.

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Ethanol currently retails at about Rs 62-63 per litre as opposed to petrol, which costs an eye-watering Rs 104.90 as of today. In fact, the ethanol-powered bike produces 50 percent less benzene and butadiene along with reduced nitrogen, particulate matter, sulphur dioxide, and carbon monoxide emissions.

So, it clearly has its benefits apart from being cheaper. Interestingly, TVS had anticipated this shift back in 2019 and introduced India’s first ethanol-powered motorcycle, the Apache RTR 200 Fi E100. It’s essentially a regular RTR tuned to run ethanol or a mix of ethanol. Therefore, there’s no loss in terms of performance, so to speak. You can read more about the bike here. 

We also have detailed images of the Apache RTR 200 Fi E100, which will give you a clear idea of how different the bike is compared to the ICE-powered variant. 

The move may be appreciated by all, especially considering the ever-increasing fuel prices. However, the same cannot be said about two-wheeler manufacturers. Companies have already invested huge amounts while transitioning from BS4 to BS6 fuels. To switch technology again would be quite difficult. Not to mention, this would indirectly affect the prices of all two-wheelers as well.