Japanese Automaker Toyota recently showcased the Toyota Innova Hycross prototype with the flex-fuel hybrid powertrain. The vehicle was unveiled by Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari. The company said that this is the world’s first BS6 Stage II-compliant flex-fuel vehicle and this is the second flex-fuel vehicle showcased by Toyota in India after the Corolla flex-fuel hybrid.
The Toyota Innova flex fuel is powered by the same 2.0-litre petrol engine paired with an electric motor that runs on Atkinson Cycle. Toyota claims that this engine can run on greener fuel with up to 85 per cent ethanol blend and is capable of performing to the same degree as the standard model, even with ethanol-blended petrol. To achieve this, Toyota had to make several changes to the engine and its components.
Ethanol sensor The Innova Hycross Flex Fuel gets an ethanol sensor that measures the percentage of ethanol in the fuel. This sensor further sends information to the ECU to electronically adjust other aspects of the engine. In case you fill in lower blend fuel, this system evaluates the current blend in your fuel tank and continues the operations of the engine.
Upgrades to ECU The Innova Flex Fuel also gets an updated ECU (engine control unit). As mentioned previously, the ethanol sensor sends information to the ECU to electronically determine the functions of the engine. The ECU calibrates the engine based on the ethanol blend and ensures that the engine works seamlessly on different percentages of ethanol blend.
Motor-driven VVT Ethanol’s heating temperature is much higher than Petrol, due to this the flex fuel vehicle will face issues with cold start and take more time to start up. The engine gets motor-driven VVT which eliminates the car’s cold start issues and Toyota says it can function at temperatures as low as minus 15 degrees Celsius.
Corrosion-ResistanceThe chemical nature of the ethanol is more acidic than petrol. It’s combined with higher water absorption which puts the engine at a higher risk of corrosion. Toyota says that the Flex-fuel model gets ethanol-compatible spark plugs, valve and valve seats and piston rings, which are said to resist corrosion and improve the wear and tear of the components. The fuel tank and the fuel pipe too have been upgraded to keep corrosion and rusting away.
High-pressure fuel injectors The flex fuel Innova Hycross gets high-pressure direct fuel injectors and Toyota said that these have been reinforced to withstand extra heat. This has been adopted because ethanol burns at a higher temperature than petrol. The engine also gets a more advanced three-way catalyst to reduce emissions.
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