Toyota Fortuner Bioethanol Test Drive: Squid Drinking Sugarcane Water
Covered in a combination of green and white livery stickers, some visitors may find it less attractive. This is because the Fortuner Bioethanol figure remains the same as most Fortuners currently being sold by PT Toyota Astra Motor (TAM).
The only difference compared to the diesel or petrol Fortuner is the identity in the form of the words "Flex Fuel Bioethanol E-100" on the outside of the driver's and front passenger's doors and on the hood.
Even though the physical appearance is similar, the Toyota Fortuner Bioethanol is an amazing step forward in the automotive industry because it is one of the concrete steps taken by the manufacturer regarding commitment to the environment and technological innovation towards environmental preservation.
Get to know the Toyota Fortuner Bioethanol Flex-Fuel Technology
The Toyota Fortuner Bioethanol is not an ordinary vehicle, one of its superior features is flex-fuel technology which allows this vehicle to adopt fuel derived from various vegetable materials. This flexible fuel technology is able to replace fossil fuels such as gasoline and diesel, with vegetable materials such as coconut juice, palm oil, corn juice and sugar cane juice.
These materials can then be processed and converted into ethanol fuel which is much more environmentally friendly than fossil fuels. What's more interesting is that the use of vegetable fuel does not require many adjustments to the combustion chamber of previous conventional engines.
So this step can reduce the production budget but still be able to reduce exhaust emissions from fossil fuel vehicles.
Ethanol fuel is an alternative to hybrid and BEV
Currently, concerns about the negative impacts of fossil fuel consumption are increasing. This is why Toyota's step in presenting the Fortuner Bioethanol is so important.
With ethanol fuel that can be produced from various vegetable sources, this vehicle offers a more environmentally friendly and sustainable alternative without having to convert it into a hybrid or battery-based electric car (BEV).
Bob Azam as Deputy Main Director of PT Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indonesia (TMMIN) said that what needs to be done in Indonesia to achieve the Net Zero Emission (NZE) target announced by the government is to make more transitions.
The transition here is a shift from dependence on the use of fossil fuels, to other alternative fuels that are more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.
"So, what's important now is the matter of transitioning energy use using the best methods to achieve the zero emissions target as quickly as possible," he said when met at the xEV Center Karawang, West Java.
This transition, said Bob, does not necessarily require people to switch to electrified vehicles such as HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle), PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), and BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle).
"There are a lot of energy sources in Indonesia, each region has energy sources, especially biomass. We see that in Brazil they turn sugar cane into ethanol, here there is also a lot of sugar cane, then here there is coconut, oil palm, why don't we also develop this, in Thailand "Just chicken manure can turn into hydrogen," stressed Bob.
Based on Toyota Fortuner Gasoline
The Toyota Fortuner Bioethanol engine is the result of careful development through the conversion of a 2TR-FE petrol engine with a capacity of 2,700 cc 4 cylinder DOHC Dual VVT-i.
Even so, the crew from Toyota Indonesia who accompanied us when testing this car at the xEV Center facility, Karawang, West Java some time ago said that there were a number of component adjustments in the engine room.
This includes adjusting the fuel injector and fuel pump devices specifically to work with biofuels, not fossil fuels. Then adjustments were also made to the ECU because of course the character of biofuel is different from gasoline.
However, with amazing innovation, now the engine can smoothly use E5, E10, E20, up to E100 ethanol (100% pure ethanol).
Quieter than Fortuner Gasoline
Looking at the figure of the Fortuner Bioethanol E100, it is no different from the petrol-drinking Fortuner 2.7. The front still displays the second generation Fortuner facelift, starting from the grill, main lights, bumper curves, fog lamp position, to the wheel design.
Likewise at the back, the design of the lights, glass, bumper, everything is the same, it's just that we can barely smell the suffocating smell of smoke from the exhaust hole of this car.
Turning to the interior, the layout remains the same as the petrol Fortuner, starting from the layout of the dashboard, steering wheel, center console, seat design, to the position of the transmission lever and the size of the head unit and meter cluster remain the same.
The driving method has not changed, the car still shows its torque, including when tested by pressing Power Mode on the center console. Unfortunately, because this is a prototype unit that hasn't even been road tested, there are no records of maximum power, torque, acceleration or fuel consumption.
Even so, Toyota has proven capable of taking big steps in providing environmentally friendly vehicles without sacrificing performance or driver comfort.
Toyota Fortuner Bioethanol Already Used in Brazil
If Indonesia's Fortuner, which drinks sugar cane or coconut juice, is still a prototype, even at the time this article was published it had not yet been tested remotely, but apparently other countries have already implemented flex-fuel technology first.
One market that has become the center of attention is Brazil, where flex-fuel vehicles were introduced more than 20 years ago with engines that can use up to 5 percent ethanol. However, for Indonesia, Bob admitted that ethanol fuel is still difficult to find in all regions of the country.
Currently, the only fuel provider company, Pertamina, is offering fuel from vegetable ingredients through its product Pertamax Green.
That's why Bob hopes that there can be a rapid transition process in energy use so that vehicles like the Toyota Fortuner Bioethanol will become the main choice for consumers who care about the environment in Indonesia.
Conclusion
By presenting the Toyota Fortuner Bioethanol, Toyota is not just introducing a vehicle, but also a solution for a sustainable future.
With flex-fuel technology and an engine that can adopt ethanol fuel, Fortuner Bioethanol positions itself as a pioneer in changing the fuel consumption paradigm.
With innovative steps like these, Toyota is proving that innovation and sustainability can come together in a product that is stunning and beneficial to the environment and global society.
