Toyota launches Innova Hycross Flex-fuel, the world's first ethanol-electric hybrid vehicle

CTOnews.com, August 31 (Xinhua) Toyota Kirloskar India recently launched the world's first ethanol-electric hybrid vehicle, Innova Hycross Flex-fuel, with a flexible fuel engine, which claims to be "the first vehicle in the world equipped with 100% ethanol as fuel." the model is based on Toyota's MPVInnova Hycross platform launched in India and is developed and produced by Toyota Kirloskar Kroska.

According to the inquiry of autocarindiaCTOnews.com, the foreign media of ▲, this Innova Hycross Flex-fuel can freely use ethanol or electric energy as its power source. In terms of ethanol power, because the cost of obtaining 100% ethanol is too high, current prototype cars powered by ethanol usually use "mixed fuel made from gasoline and ethanol." Innova Hycross Flex-fuel uses 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline as fuel for its "ethanol-driven" part.

Toyota officials say the prototype is designed to meet India's previous high-end emission standards, making it the world's first BS 6 (stage II) electric "flexible fuel" vehicle. (CTOnews.com Note: "flexible fuel" means the model can be powered by both pure ethanol and electricity.

However, Toyota did not announce a time for mass production of the official version of the model, which could take months or even years to go into mass production.