Maruti Suzuki Unveils WagonR Bioflex Pricing
Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., the nation's leading automaker, has officially revealed the price for its inaugural flex-fuel vehicle, the WagonR Bioflex. The new model was launched on June 4 by Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri.
The WagonR Bioflex is priced at Rs 7,23,900. This makes it significantly more expensive than its petrol counterparts, costing Rs 1,28,420 more than a comparable WagonR ZXi MT variant and Rs 74,420 more than the WagonR ZXi+.
Understanding Flex-Fuel Technology and E85
The WagonR Bioflex operates on E85 fuel, a blend consisting of 85% ethanol and 15% petrol. Maruti Suzuki also states that the vehicle is capable of running on E100, or pure ethanol. While E85 is currently available at select fuel pumps for approximately Rs 82 per liter in Delhi, which is about 20% less than E20 petrol, industry experts suggest that E85 would need to be at least 30% cheaper to offer a significant economic advantage to consumers, given ethanol's lower energy content compared to petrol.
Expanding Flex-Fuel Infrastructure Across India
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced plans for a rapid expansion of E85 dispensing infrastructure. Initially, 50-100 fuel stations in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur will offer E85 by the end of 2026. This network is projected to grow to 500 outlets by December of the same year, with an ambitious target of approximately 5,000 dispensing stations in major cities by the end of the following year.
The rollout of flex-fuel vehicles necessitates new infrastructure or modifications to existing petrol pumps. The government is exploring options to leverage the current fuel dispensing systems for high-octane petrol, as the Research Octane Number (RON) of petrol in India has increased, and the introduction of E20-blended petrol has already enhanced fuel octane, easing the transition to E85.