Well-to-Wheel Analysis of Ethanol-Gasoline Flex-Fuel Hybrid Vehicle

Well-to-Wheel Analysis of Ethanol-Gasoline Flex-Fuel Hybrid Vehicle | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Well-to-Wheel Analysis of Ethanol-Gasoline Flex-Fuel Hybrid Vehicle R S S Rao, M N Vaibhav, M Himabindu, R V Ravikrishna This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3086376/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract India's reliance on crude oil imports to meet its energy demands, coupled with the escalating pollution issues stemming from contemporary vehicle technologies, underscores the urgency of evaluating prospective future fuel and propulsion systems. This necessitates a comprehensive examination of the entire fuel cycle, spanning from production to utilization in propulsion systems, commonly referred to as a Well-to-Wheels (WTW) analysis. This report comprises three essential segments: the Well-to-Tank (WTT) analysis, the Tank-to-Wheel (TTW) analysis, and the amalgamated WTW analysis. The WTT segment assesses the energy consumption and emissions generated during fuel production, while the TTW stage focuses on the energy usage and CO₂ emissions associated with vehicle operation across a typical Indian driving cycle. Integration of both WTT and TTW results yields final WTW estimates of energy consumption and CO₂ emissions. The WTW energy consumption, efficiency, and CO₂ emissions were scrutinized across three vehicle/fuel configurations for a passenger sedan within the Indian context: ethanol-gasoline blended fuel powering a Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV), a gasoline-powered conventional vehicle, and a Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV). These vehicles were simulated using Matlab Simulink-based software – Autonomie over the Modified Indian Drive Cycle (MIDC). The current electricity generation mix with its substantial reliance on coal accounting for nearly 70%, renders the electricity pathway less efficient and emits high levels of CO₂. Consequently, BEVs exhibit efficiency comparable to conventional gasoline vehicles but with higher CO₂ emissions from a WTW perspective. This contradicts the prevailing public perception that EVs are environmentally superior and have significantly reduced impact compared to conventional vehicles. This study underscores that hybridization and biofuel utilization notably enhance WTW efficiency and reduce CO₂ emissions. Specifically, hybrids powered by ethanol and ethanol-gasoline blends demonstrate superior WTW efficiency and reduced CO₂ emissions compared to their conventional counterparts. Significantly, the WTW CO₂ emissions are lowest for the E100-HEV, primarily due to the powertrain's efficiency and the carbon neutrality of sugarcane ethanol. The combination of sugarcane ethanol with hybrid technologies holds considerable promise in enabling India to diminish its reliance on crude oil imports while mitigating environmental impacts. Mechanical Engineering Energy Engineering Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-3086376","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":333030567,"identity":"bc9c8d46-41f4-470d-8ddc-894b4b60d6ce","order_by":0,"name":"R S S Rao","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Indian Institute of Science","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"R","middleName":"S S","lastName":"Rao","suffix":""},{"id":333030568,"identity":"069ce650-fc3c-4d49-a1d0-e59c62b8e7f2","order_by":1,"name":"M N Vaibhav","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Indian Institute of Science","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"M","middleName":"N","lastName":"Vaibhav","suffix":""},{"id":333030569,"identity":"f38890fc-910a-4d55-992a-d1f86fd56131","order_by":2,"name":"M Himabindu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Indian Institute of Science","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"M","middleName":"","lastName":"Himabindu","suffix":""},{"id":333030570,"identity":"d4235d9b-edf9-4f00-829c-afcdcb35030a","order_by":3,"name":"R V Ravikrishna","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAy0lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYJCCgw0MEgz8zIwNEC4zsVokm0nRAlZrcIBYR5m3nzE8OHOPhb3xcebmDz8Y7OQZ2Hnx65Y5k2NwcMMzicRthxnbJHsYkg0bmPkS8GqRYEhLOPjggESCGVAL0BfMCQzMPAb4tfA/A2uxN25mbP7MwFBPhBaJ5AMHNxyQYNwADGRpBobDxGh5fODgjAMSiTPAfjE4bthG2GGJzR97DtTZ8/cff/zhR0W1PD//Gfxa0ABQMRsp6kfBKBgFo2AUYAcAnCk+Q51pZfwAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9107-1829","institution":"Indian Institute of Science","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"R","middleName":"V","lastName":"Ravikrishna","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2023-06-20 09:23:36","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3086376/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3086376/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":61370931,"identity":"626416cf-ac81-45e1-a3c3-7b032af34803","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-07-30 03:00:01","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":795343,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Paperwtwanalysisethanolhybridvehicle.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3086376/v1_covered_2801e098-2199-4b51-96e7-bf272698e66d.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWell-to-Wheel Analysis of Ethanol-Gasoline Flex-Fuel Hybrid Vehicle\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"Indian Institute of Science Bangalore","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3086376/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3086376/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eIndia's reliance on crude oil imports to meet its energy demands, coupled with the escalating pollution issues stemming from contemporary vehicle technologies, underscores the urgency of evaluating prospective future fuel and propulsion systems. This necessitates a comprehensive examination of the entire fuel cycle, spanning from production to utilization in propulsion systems, commonly referred to as a Well-to-Wheels (WTW) analysis.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis report comprises three essential segments: the Well-to-Tank (WTT) analysis, the Tank-to-Wheel (TTW) analysis, and the amalgamated WTW analysis. The WTT segment assesses the energy consumption and emissions generated during fuel production, while the TTW stage focuses on the energy usage and CO₂ emissions associated with vehicle operation across a typical Indian driving cycle. Integration of both WTT and TTW results yields final WTW estimates of energy consumption and CO₂ emissions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe WTW energy consumption, efficiency, and CO₂ emissions were scrutinized across three vehicle/fuel configurations for a passenger sedan within the Indian context: ethanol-gasoline blended fuel powering a Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV), a gasoline-powered conventional vehicle, and a Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV). These vehicles were simulated using Matlab Simulink-based software \u0026ndash; Autonomie over the Modified Indian Drive Cycle (MIDC).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe current electricity generation mix with its substantial reliance on coal accounting for nearly 70%, renders the electricity pathway less efficient and emits high levels of CO₂. Consequently, BEVs exhibit efficiency comparable to conventional gasoline vehicles but with higher CO₂ emissions from a WTW perspective. This contradicts the prevailing public perception that EVs are environmentally superior and have significantly reduced impact compared to conventional vehicles.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study underscores that hybridization and biofuel utilization notably enhance WTW efficiency and reduce CO₂ emissions. Specifically, hybrids powered by ethanol and ethanol-gasoline blends demonstrate superior WTW efficiency and reduced CO₂ emissions compared to their conventional counterparts.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSignificantly, the WTW CO₂ emissions are lowest for the E100-HEV, primarily due to the powertrain's efficiency and the carbon neutrality of sugarcane ethanol. The combination of sugarcane ethanol with hybrid technologies holds considerable promise in enabling India to diminish its reliance on crude oil imports while mitigating environmental impacts.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Well-to-Wheel Analysis of Ethanol-Gasoline Flex-Fuel Hybrid Vehicle","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-07-30 02:51:51","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3086376/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"292fe011-10cb-40b3-a222-5bbd066a9a43","owner":[],"postedDate":"July 30th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":35258341,"name":"Mechanical Engineering"},{"id":35258342,"name":"Energy Engineering"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-07-30T02:51:51+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2024-07-30 02:51:51","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-3086376","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-3086376","identity":"rs-3086376","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}