People are trying to find alternative ways of depleting fossil fuels. Petroleum/Crude Oil is one of the most used fossil fuel in the world. It is the source of products that fuels various industrial processes around the world. However, it is depleting. The consumption of fossil fuels has increased with the growing population and their growing demands. Hence, there is a need to find alternative fuel options to keep our industries and machines running when we run out of petrol. This has given rise to a revolution. In fact, the Indian government has itself been trying to force entrepreneurs and industrialists to create ways in which eco-friendly vehicles can be launched that run on either electricity or on any other mode. Since then all the automobile company shave been working on it.

In a similar revolution, TVS Motors, one of the biggest motorcycle manufacturing company from India, has developed a motorcycle that runs on Ethanol. TVS’s New Bike “Apache RTR 200 Fi E100”, is TVS’s first bike, which has an ethanol-powered engine. It was first introduced as a concept during the 2018 Auto Expo. Priced at Rs. 1.20 Lakh (Ex-Showroom Price), the new TVS Bike is an improvised and advanced version of TVS’s “Apache RTR 2004V” which is powered by Petrol. The petrol based version of the TVS bike is priced at 1.09 Lakh (Ex-Showroom Price). 

The bike was launched in New Delhi. Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport and Highways of India and Amitabh Kant, CEO of Niti Aayog (The government’s think tank for environmental forays), were present on the launch ceremony of the new TVS bike while Venu Srinivasan, chairman of TVS Company & his son unveiled the product to the dignitaries and the press.

TVS’s new bike’s Engine wholly relies on Ethanol as fuel. TVS has become the first player in the automobile industry to have mastered in developing a bike to successfully replaced petrol-based engine technology in two-wheelers. As demonstrated by TVS Motors, the bike engine powered with Ethanol generates a lesser amount of pollution and gives better power to the engine.

But Why Ethanol?
Ethanol is a biodegradable fuel as it is produced from renewable plant resource. It is non-toxic as it consists of 35% oxygen. Using Ethanol as a combustion fuel in vehicles will help reduce pollution by reducing nitrogen oxide, carbon mono oxide, Sulphur-Di-Oxide & particulate matter emissions in the environment. Not only this, the fuel is, in fact, easy to handle, carry, transport & store as well.

Other than being a good alternative to petrol as well as being a less pollutant fuel, Ethanol has a much lower price as compared to Petrol. Where one litre of Petrol costs Rs. 77/-, Ethanol is only priced at Rs. 52 per Litre. However, the calorific value of Ethanol is 33% lesser than Petrol. Hence, 1.3 litres of Ethanol will be required to produce the same amount of combustion as produced in 1 Litre of petrol. The requisite amount of Ethanol will be costing Rs. 68/Litre, still saving a notable amount from per litre of petrol.

Ethanol is a bio-degradable fuel as it is produced with organic material like remains from sugar factories and alcohol. It is being produced domestically in the country’s sugar industries as a by-product. TVS Motors has advocated it’s technology by suggesting that every year, our country imports Rs. 13 billion worth of fuel, out of which 10% fuel gets consumed in serving the two-wheelers on roads of the country. Ethanol-based vehicles in cutting their cost related to the importation of petroleum, as well as eradicating air pollution caused by petrol-based vehicles.

Specification of TVS’s New Bike “Apache RTR 200 Fi E100”
The bike is equipped with an engine then runs on twin-spray-twin-port EFI technology. This engine technology gives the motorcycle better drivability, better throttle response and reduced emissions. Engine’s power is still 200cc with air-cooled assistance and it will offer 21 PS & 18.1 Nm with the single cylinder. It’s sister version Apache RTR 200 4V (Petrol-powered) however offers 0.5 Ps lesser than the Ethanol version. The new bike also offers a higher top speed of 129 KMPH which is the same as the petrol version. The Ethanol version comes in a new design of Green Graphics printed on the white colour of the bike with an Ethanol Logo.

The bike is reported to be available for sale in the state of Maharashtra, UP and Karnataka. The biggest issue that comes forward is that there are no official fuel pumps in the nation that provide Ethanol Fuel for vehicles. As the reports suggest TVS is already selling the ethanol version of it’s Apache RTR 200 in Brazil. It seems that Brazil is the first country around the world to have understood the significance of using vehicles powered with ethanol-blended fuel.

However, it is praiseworthy that how government and industrial tycoons are aiming to improve technology to impact the environment in a positive manner.