Honda is gearing up for the Australian debut of its 100 percent ethanol-powered V8 engines at the Nikon Indy 300 on Queensland’s Gold Coast next month.

Honda is the exclusive supplier of engines for the Indy Car series, which traditionally run on methanol. Ethanol is a clean-burning, renewable fuel derived from plants that reduces air pollution. Ethanol fuelled engines were first introduced to the series in the USA at the beginning of the 2007 season.

Honda Australia Managing Director, Yasuhide Mizuno says Honda was committed to finding new and innovative ways to be more sustainable.

“The new ethanol powered engine demonstrates it is possible to have an environmentally-friendly fuel that delivers real racing performance.”

Mizuno says not only is ethanol better for the environment, but the 3.4 litre engines can accelerate the car from 0 to 161kph in less than three seconds. Last year, Honda revealed technology to extract ethanol from the inedible stalks and leaves of plants, leaving the edible parts for human consumption.

This initiative overcomes the competing needs of food and fuel sources which Honda has set up an experimental production facility at its Wako, Japan, R&D campus to further study the market potential of this technology.

In addition to its commitment to the advancement of cleaner power, Honda is still a leading manufacturer of environmentally-friendly vehicles, including the Honda Civic Hybrid. The Nikon Indy 300 will be held on the Gold Coast, Queensland from 23–26 October.

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