The increasing environmental concerns have shifted the automobile trend. The industry is moving towards using alternative fuel sources such as electricity, hydrogen and solar power. Flex-fuel cars are the intermediate category between conventional and alternate-fuel cars. They can operate on a mixture of ethanol and petrol which can have a ratio percentage of up to 83% to 85%. This results in a significant reduction of carbon emissions because of the addition of ethanol to petrol.
Let’s go further into the details of flex-fuel cars, their function, advantages and drawbacks.
The Function of a Flex-Fuel Car
A flex-fuel car is equipped with a flex-fuel engine which is a counterpart of a conventional combustion engine. These fuel tanks can store a mixture of ethanol and petrol and also enable the vehicles to run 100% on either of them. The blend of the fuel system is made resistive to ethanol since its effect can be corrosive and has higher octane. The most used type of ethanol oxygenate is E85. the working of a flex-fuel car is carried out by a flex-fuel composition sensor and electronic control module (ECM) which senses and adjusts the ratio of the fuels. The ECM is modified to withstand the higher content of oxygen in ethanol.
Now that you are familiar with how flex-fuel car functions, let’s take a look at the components that are involved in the working.
Components of a Flex-Fuel Car
The following are the main components of a flex-fuel car:
Battery
The engine and the electronic components are started by the power supplied by the car battery.
Electronic Control Module
The ECM monitors the mixture of fuels, overlooks the operation of the vehicle and detects and troubleshoots issues.
Exhaust System
The exhausted gases are guided out of the vehicle through an exhaust system using a three-way catalyst to reduce engine emissions.
Fuel filler
It is a nozzle that attaches a vehicle receptacle to the fuel dispenser.
Fuel injection system
The fuel is injected into the combustion chamber of the engine by the fuel injectors.
Fuel line
The fuel is transferred to the injection system from the tank through a fuel line which is a metal tube.
Fuel tank
It is the compartment of the vehicle that stores the fuel mixture.
Internal combustion engine
When the fuel is injected into the combustion engine, it combines with air and the mixture is ignited by a spark plug.
Transmission
Through a car power transmission system, the mechanical power is converted into electric rotatory motion that is transferred to the wheels.
Fuel Sensor
A fuel sensor monitors and senses the composition of the fuel and signals the ECM.
These were the components that are found in a flex-fuel engine and their primary functions.
Let us now move forward to the benefits of flex-fuel cars and their drawbacks.
Pros and Cons of Flex-Fuel Vehicles
Flex-fuel cars have lower carbon footprints and several other benefits, but there are also some limitations to these cars.
PROS
Cleaner for the Environment
Ethanol produces less toxic fumes than petrol because it has fewer volatile compounds and burns more clearly. This is the reason it has a cleaner environmental impact and contributes a significantly lower amount of greenhouse gases which makes it a prominent choice for alternative transportation fuels.
Combustion Solution
The flex-fuel vehicles are designed in such a way that combustion engines burn the proportion of the fuel mixture which enters the chamber. The electronic sensors monitor this fuel mixture and microprocessors adjust its timing and injection.
Efficient Performance
Apart from serving as an option for a lesser carbon footprint, these cars also perform efficiently on ethanol which is sourced from food crops like corn and sugarcane.
CONS
Requires More Fuel
Ethanol burns cleaner than petrol, but it burns in more amounts, increasing its requirement. It is because it has less energy. This results in the consumption of more fuel as compared to conventional-fueled vehicles.
Shortage of Fuel Supply
The fuel stations for such vehicles are fewer because ethanol is less economical than petrol. Therefore, it hinders the usage and purchase of flex-fuel vehicles because of fewer fuel suppliers.
Engine Wear
Your car’s engine can get damaged by ethanol since it is highly corrosive and picks up dirt quickly. It increases the vapour pressure in the carburettor and rusts different engine parts.
This is all about flex-fuel cars: their function, benefits and demerits. Although they offer many benefits, certain limitations, like the impact on engine and mileage, limit them. Moreover, they are like petrol-fueled cars in many aspects except for the choice of clean energy fuel and the addition of certain engine components. Despite all these pros, these types of vehicles are still in the process of development, and modifications are still being added. Therefore, if you’re looking for a conventional car, you can browse through these used cars for sale in the UAE for an alternative fuel option.
Stay tuned to the UAE’s top auto blogs for more information on alternative fuel vehicles.
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