A lot of people today are concerned because recently the government of India in Delhi launched the first petrol pump which will dispense E85 petrol. E85 petrol comprises 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent petrol. Now, at the moment, there are no affordable cars that you can buy which can run using E85 petrol. However, recently we came across a video which mentions that this particular 13-year-old Bentley, which used to be worth Rs 3.8 crore, has been capable of running on E85 for a very long time.
The video in which a 13-year-old Bentley Flying Spur gets serviced has been shared on Instagram by The Mechanix Auto on their page. It starts off with the presenter mentioning that this 2013 Bentley Flying Spur luxury sedan, despite being 13 years old, is capable of driving on E85 petrol. He then highlights that this particular vehicle has come to their shop for a complete service.
Following this, he highlights that they will be replacing all the filters, including air conditioning and cabin filters, and also changing the engine oil. Soon after this, he mentions that there are two unique things to note about this 13-year-old Bentley. The first thing he then mentions is that this vehicle takes approximately 12 litres of engine oil, which is 3 times more than any standard vehicle.
The second thing he mentions while showing the service manual of the Bentley Flying Spur is that the vehicle is E85 compliant. In the video, we can note that in the Flexible Fuel System subsection, it has been mentioned that this vehicle is equipped with a catalytic converter and a flexible fuel system. It also states that this vehicle can run on premium unleaded petrol as well as “Bioethanol E85”.
Also, it can run on any mixture of unleaded petrol and E85 petrol. This means that currently the Bentley is one of the only few cars that can be driven using the recently launched E85 petrol. For those who may not be aware, the newly launched E85 petrol has been launched at Rs 82.12 per litre. Meanwhile, the standard E20 petrol is priced at Rs 102.12 per litre. The presenter mentions that this Bentley can be run on both E85 petrol as well as the current E20 petrol, which is available across the country.
The vehicle seen in the video is a 2013 Bentley Flying Spur, which came equipped with a massive 6.0-litre V12 engine. This motor generated 616 bhp and 800 Nm of torque. Also, it came equipped with an 8-speed automatic transmission, and the power was sent to all four wheels with the help of its AWD system.
Now, for those who may be wondering how a 13-year-old luxury car can be E85 compliant, the answer is that it comes equipped with a special flexible fuel system. Unlike regular petrol-powered vehicles, flex-fuel vehicles get specially designed fuel lines, fuel injectors, fuel pumps, and engine management systems which can handle the corrosive nature of ethanol.
They also come equipped with sensors which can detect the percentage of ethanol present in the fuel, following which they can automatically adjust the engine parameters accordingly. As a result, these vehicles can run on regular petrol, E20 petrol, E85 petrol, or even any mixture of petrol and ethanol without causing damage to the engine.
It has to be noted that at the moment there are only very few cars in India which are capable of running on E85 fuel. Most mass-market vehicles sold today are designed for E20 fuel only. The government has launched this fuel today to encourage carmakers to launch E85-compliant cars in India. Presently, Maruti Suzuki has showcased its WagonR flex-fuel, Tata has shown the Punch flex-fuel, and Toyota has shown the Innova Hycross flex-fuel. However, they will be launched in the coming months.