Royal Enfield Classic 350 Flex Fuel debuts at 2024 Bharat Mobility Expo

To make the most out of an internal combustion engine, most vehicle manufacturers are turning to alternate fuels, such as flex fuel vehicles, and Royal Enfield is not an exception. The brand showcased a flex fuel model of its best-selling motorcycle, the Classic 350, at the ongoing 2024 Bharat Mobility Expo.

The Royal Enfield Classic 350 flex fuel is said to support the E85 grade flex fuel. The motorcycle gets the same 349.34cc, single-cylinder, air/oil-cooled engine that produces 20.21PS at 6,100rpm and 27Nm of torque at 4,000rpm. However, it has not been disclosed yet whether the Classic 350 produces the same power output when using the flex fuel. Notably, the Classic 350 flex fuel adorns an exclusive dual-tone paint job comprising green and red colours, along with distinctive graphics on the fuel tank and side panels.

Given the shared engine platform among the Meteor 350, Hunter 350, and new-gen Bullet 350, there is potential for Royal Enfield to extend the flex fuel technology to these motorcycles. Further research and development could pave the way for making the 450cc and 650cc models compatible with flex fuel. contributing to a more sustainable and diverse fuel ecosystem for Royal Enfield.

The flex fuel vehicles use an internal combustion engine, capable of operating not only on petrol but also on a blend of petrol and ethanol up to 83 per cent (E85). The E85 fuel can contain ethanol between 51 per cent and 83 per cent. In India, most new cars and two-wheelers are now compatible with using E20, which has 20 per cent ethanol and 80 per cent petrol. Above all, flex fuel is a clean burning and renewable, and sustainable resource mixed with petrol to reduce tailpipe emissions and possibly increase fuel economy of the vehicles.

According to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, public sector oil marketing companies (OMCs) began selling E20 petrol in India in February 2023. This fuel is sold at over 1,900 petrol stations across the country. The 'Roadmap for Ethanol Blending in India 2020-25' has outlined guidelines to target 20 per cent ethanol blending in India by 2025-26. But most fuel station sell currently retail 10 per cent ethanol-mixed petrol.

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