FLEX FUEL
Flex fuel vehicles are built with a technology that allows them to run with 100% ethanol, fossil fuels or any mixture of the two. This gives drivers more choice and, when choosing ethanol, empowers them to help reduce air pollution. Ethanol saves up to 90% GHG emissions, when compared to fossil fuels.
Flex Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) have been present in the Brazilian automotive market since March 2003, when mass production and commercialization significantly increased in Brazil and accelerated the race to produce alternative fuels. In just over 17 years, this technology has come to dominate the Brazilian market. In recent years FFV have accounted for 98% of new cars sold nationally. Now, 80% of vehicles (30 million units) and 34% of motorcycles (5 million units) in Brazil are flex-fuel.
This major shift in vehicle production has brought numerous environmental and economic benefits to the country. From March 2003 to 2020, ethanol consumption (anhydrous and hydrous) saved 552 million tons of CO2eq being emitted into the atmosphere. By way of reference, it would require planting 4 billion native trees over the next 20 years to achieve the same CO2 savings.
The use of ethanol in Brazil over the past two decades, has resulted in saving over 100 billion liters of fossil fuels from being consumed and imported, a cost savings estimated at USD 50 billion.
552
MILLION TONS
of CO2eq avoided in
the atmosphere
98%
of new cars sold are flex fuel
in 2003
flex fuel vehicles were
launched in Brazil
