Union Minister Nitin Gadkari will soon launch a version of Toyota Innova, which runs entirely on ethanol, a fuel made from plants. He plans to unveil this new car on 29th August 2023.
Nitin Gadkari has encouraging car manufacturers to create vehicles that use alternative fuels and are more environment-friendly.
The Minister for Road, Transport and Highways previously launch a car call as the Toyota Mirai EV, which runs on purely hydrogen-generated electricity.
Union Minister said that on 29th August 2023, he will launch the electric flex-fuel Toyota Innova MPV that runs on 100% ethanol.
It will be the world’s first BS-VI (Stage-II) electrified flex-fuel vehicle, confirm Toyota in the official media invite.
Nitin Gadkari mention that this car will be the first in the world to be Stage2 BS6 compatible and run entirely on 100% ethanol, indicate by “E100”.
This is a significant achievement for India, transitioning from introducing E10 to now having E100 cars in a remarkably short period of time.
Nitin Gadkari said that his interest in biofuels began in 2004 due to a rise in petrol prices in the country.
Union Minister travel to Brazil to explore this area.
Nitin Gadkari believes that biofuels have significant potential and can help save a substantial amount of foreign exchange currently being used to import petroleum.
He emphasise the importance of reducing oil imports to make the country self-reliant and mentioned that the current import cost is Rs 16 lakh crore, causing a considerable economic loss.
Nitin Gadkari said that many road projects, value at Rs 65,000 crore, are expect to finish by the end of 2023.
These projects encompass the construction of the Dwarka Expressway.
Also, Nitin Gadkari drew attention to the negative effects of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, noting that they can lead to diseases similar to cancer.
Union Minister express the view that adopting organic farming practices has the potential to generate significant prosperity while also promoting sustainability.
The car industry in India has seen the introduction of powerful hybrid cars such as the Toyota Innova Hycross, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Maruti Suzuki Invicto, Honda City Hybrid and Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder.
Indian companies like Mahindra and Tata are also working on releasing a bunch of vehicles that produce zero emissions within the next couple of years.
Nitin Gadkari unveils his National Electric Highways Dream
If Nitin Gadkari, India’s Minister for Road Transport & Highways has his way, the country’s national highways will be turning electric in the near future.
Nitin Gadkari said work had already started in this regard.
Nitin Gadkari Said :
“We have just completed a significant amount of work, including a presentation by the Tata group. We propose to install [overhead] electric cables like the ones on a railway line on the Delhi-Jaipur Highway and the Ring Road in Nagpur,”
Trolleybuses plying between Delhi and Jaipur would be run utilising the cabling and return to Delhi after going around the ring road in Jaipur, Nitin Gadkari said elaborating.
Union Minister said :
“Since it is the first project of its kind, we are examining the possibility of doing this in the built, operate, transfer (BOT) model.”
Nitin Gadkari said his ministry was also looking at extending the initiative to freight trucks in a bid to greatly reduce logistics costs in India, which are among the highest in the world.
Nitin Gadkari Said :
“Presently, our logistics cost is 14%-16%. In China it is 9%-10% and in most European countries 12%. I am confident of reducing it to a single digit to 9% by the end of 2024.”
He said this would help greatly boost the economy by making the country’s export market competitive.
Expressing his concern at the high incidence of road accidents in the country, the minister cited disregard for traffic rules as the main cause behind them.
Nitin Gadkari Said :
“For the last nine years, we have been trying our level best [to improve things] but this has not turned out to be a success story. We have 5 lakh road accidents every year and 1.5 lakh deaths, out of which 60% of the decease are in the 18-34 age group,”.
He said that the government was already working in key areas such as road and automobile engineering to improve things.
The star-rating of automobiles had initiated while Rs 40,000 crore had budget for removing the blackspots in road engineering.
Naming education, emergency and enforcement as the key pillars of road safety, Nitin Gadkari said people must observe simple rules such as avoiding phone, wearing helmets, observing traffic lights and following lane discipline while driving.
