Auto Expo 2023: Unica, SIAM to come up with knowledge centre for ethanol, blends

Participating at Auto Expo 2023, Brazil will set up a dedicated 250 sq m ethanol experience zone, which would be organised by Unica, Brazilian Ethanol Cluster, ApexBrazil and the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The zone is part of a 3,000-sq m pavilion dedicated to ethanol that would be promoted by SIAM. This is the first time that a car show dedicates an entire pavilion to biofuel, the joint statement of SIAM and Unica said.

The Brazilian zone will have three sections. The first section will be an ethanol experience zone that will demonstrate the benefits of ethanol, and its technologies including flex fuel vehicles. The second section — Bring back my blue sky — will give visitors a virtual experience of how ethanol-based fuels can reduce emissions. The final section will be centred around the Center of Excellence (CoE) in partnership with SIAM.

A Virtual Centre of Excellence is a fairly new organisational concept. Its aim is to bring the capabilities, knowledge and expertise together from diverse teams across geographical and organisation boundaries to create something exemplary and distinguishable within its domain.

“The CoE will be a knowledge portal, a hub that will bring together important and up-to-date information on technological advances, technical standards, regulations, public policies, and sustainability related to biomass and bioenergy,” said the executive director of Unica, Eduardo Leao de Sousa.

Unica’s zone at the Auto Expo will welcome audiences from January 13-18, 2023. The area will host the Virtual Centre of Excellence (CoE) that will provide users with information on ethanol, biomass for bioenergy, and sustainability of biofuels. It will provide stakeholders with relevant technological and policy initiatives that will smoothen India’s transition to low-carbon mobility.

Rajesh Menon, director general, SIAM, said the CoE would lay the foundation for the two organisations to support and complement the governments’ efforts in promoting bioenergy, biofuels, and other bio-based fuels for low-carbon mobility in India and Brazil.”It is truly an honour for SIAM to partner with Unica in achieving the common goal of low-carbon mobility through a combination of ethanol, technology, and investment,” Menon said.

Brazil is the second largest producer of ethanol in the world, after the US, and is home to the world’s largest fleet of cars that use ethanol as fuel. India also has a strong focus on biofuels and has brought forward by five years, to 2025, the goal of achieving a 20 per cent ethanol blend in gasoline. India is the second largest sugar producer in the world, after Brazil, and has the potential to convert surplus sugar stocks into ethanol.