Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest two-wheeler maker, on Wednesday launched two Flex Fuel vehicles - the Splendor+ and HF Deluxe - as the Centre pushes for a higher blend of ethanol in petrol. The launch follows weeks after the Union government notified new fuel standards for petrol blended with up to 30% ethanol as it looks to cut crude oil imports and expand its domestic biofuels ecosystem.
Compatible with ethanol blends ranging from E20 to E85, the Flex Fuel model of Splendor+ and HF Deluxe will be introduced in Delhi and select regions of Maharashtra in July 2026, followed by nationwide rollout soon thereafter. The HF Deluxe Flex Fuel will be priced at Rs 72,792, while the Splendor+ Flex Fuel will be priced at Rs 82,710.
“As the world’s largest 2-wheeler market, India is uniquely positioned to lead this transition. Flex-fuel technology can reduce carbon monoxide emissions by 77%, lower import dependence, and enable foreign exchange savings of Rs 1.44 lakh crore,” said Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). E20 (20% ethanol) is currently the baseline fuel standard rolled out nationwide across retail fuel stations in India.
Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) said that India has one of the world’s largest two-wheeler ecosystems with an active two-wheeler fleet of over 300 million vehicles and that the flex-fuel technology has the potential to transform mobility at an unprecedented scale.
“Today’s historic launch is a defining moment in India’s mobility and ethanol blending quest which was at just 1.5% in 2014 and has now achieved 20% blending, even as we look beyond. It will help reduce our energy import bill and continue to provide an additional source of income to our farmers,” stated Puri.
He added that even if flex-fuel vehicles account for just 1% of annual petrol vehicle sales in India they will generate a demand for four crore litres of ethanol, for which payments of about Rs 266 crore will be made to distilleries and save Rs 195 crore in foreign exchange (Nearly Rs 160 crore of which will flow directly to our Urjadatas (i.e., farmers). “Global experience, including Brazil’s successful adoption of higher ethanol blends which I had the opportunity of witnessing during my posting to Brasilia between 2006-2008, demonstrates that flex-fuel mobility is proven, scalable and reliable,” said Puri.
Talking to TNIE, Ashutosh Varma, Chief Business Officer (CBO), India Business Unit, Hero MotoCorp, said that the two motorcycles launched today have the automatic ability to blend with the fuel that is available. “By launching flex fuel vehicles in the mass market segment, we want to convey that we are future-ready,” said Varma.
He stated that since the calorific value of ethanol is lower, the efficiency of a higher blend fuel will be lower. “However, that said, this will get compensated by the lower price of ethanol. Today, ethanol prices are lower than petrol and if the government is able to bring down prices further, which they have indicated, it will be beneficial for customers,” said Varma.
The CBO also said that they have the technology and capability to turn any of their model into a flex fuel vehicle and in the future they will offer more options. “We have the capacity to produce flex fuel vehicles in large numbers, depending on the demand,” said Varma.