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The fleet of flexible-fuel vehicles in Brazil is the largest in the world, and since their inception in 2003, a total of 20 million flex fuel cars and light trucks have been manufactured in the country by June 2013, and over 3 million flexible-fuel motorcycles by October 2013. Registrations of flex-fuel autos and light trucks represented 87.0% of all passenger and light duty vehicles sold in 2012,〔 while flexible-fuel motorcycles represented a 48.2% of the domestic motorcycle production in 2012.〔 There are over 80 flex car and light truck models available in the market manufactured by 14 major carmakers, and five flex-fuel motorcycles models available .〔 Brazilian flexible-fuel vehicles are optimized to run on any mix of E20-E25 gasoline and up to 100% hydrous ethanol fuel (E100). Flex vehicles in Brazil are built-in with a small gasoline reservoir for cold starting the engine when temperatures drop below . An improved flex motor generation was launched in 2009 which eliminated the need for the secondary gas tank.〔〔 According to two separate research studies conducted in 2009, 65% of the flex-fuel registered vehicles regularly use ethanol fuel, and use climbs to 93% of flex car owners in São Paulo, the main ethanol producer state where local taxes are lower, and prices are more competitive than gasoline. However, as a result of higher ethanol prices caused by the Brazilian ethanol industry crisis that began in 2009, by November 2013 only 23% flex-fuel car owners were using ethanol regularly, down from 66% in 2009.〔 ==History== After the 1973 oil crisis, the Brazilian government made mandatory the use of ethanol blends with gasoline,〔 Ph.D. Dissertation Thesis, pp. 81-82〕 and neat ethanol-powered cars (E100 only) were launched to the market in 1979, after testing with several prototypes developed by four carmakers. Brazilian carmakers modified gasoline engines to support ethanol characteristics and changes included compression ratio, amount of fuel injected, replacement of materials that would get corroded by the contact with ethanol, use of colder spark plugs suitable for dissipating heat due to higher flame temperatures, and an auxiliary cold-start system that injects gasoline from a small tank in the engine compartment to help starting when cold. Flexible-fuel technology started being developed only by the end of the 1990s by Brazilian engineers and in March 2003 Volkswagen do Brasil launched in the market the Gol 1.6 Total Flex, the first commercial flexible fuel vehicle capable of running on any blend of gasoline and ethanol. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Flexible-fuel vehicles in Brazil」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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