Nothing is better than biofuels for immediate carbon reduction: Hero MotoCorp CEO

Sustainability can no longer be confined to manufacturing operations alone and the next challenge is creating sustainable products that reduce environmental impact throughout their usage cycle, Hero MotoCorp CEO Harshavardhan Chitale said in ‘The Eco Drive’ session at BT India's Most Sustainable Companies Summit and Awards.

India's automotive sector will ultimately need large-scale electrification to meet the country's net-zero commitments, believes Chitale. Yet he cautioned that the transition will take time. That reality, he said, makes biofuels an important solution for the near term.

"Nothing is better than biofuel for immediate carbon reduction," he explained.

Addressing consumer concerns around flex-fuel vehicles, Chitale emphasised that the company's newly launched models are designed to offer flexibility. Flex-fuel vehicles can operate on conventional gasoline as well as higher ethanol blends, he said, adding that engine automatically detects ethanol content and optimises performance accordingly.

On affordability, Chitale said Hero MotoCorp's flex-fuel vehicles currently cost only about 3-4% more than comparable conventional ICE (internal combustion engine) models. He emphasised that the price premium is temporary and is expected to disappear as production volumes increase and the technology scales up.

Drawing parallels with countries such as Brazil, he said multiple fuel choices are likely to coexist.  India, he argued, needs multiple pathways rather than a one-size-fits-all solution.

Chitale said Hero MotoCorp had set what many considered an aggressive sustainability agenda: achieving carbon neutrality by 2030, becoming water positive, eliminating waste sent to landfills, and making products increasingly recyclable.

Six years into that journey, he said the company is firmly on track. Carbon emissions have already been reduced by 45% from baseline levels, while Hero MotoCorp has become 500% water positive, replenishing five times more water than it consumes. This achievement is particularly significant because several of its manufacturing facilities operate in water-stressed regions such as Rajasthan. According to Chitale, the impact of these conservation efforts is already visible in nearby communities.

The company has also reached 95% product recyclability, far exceeding the automotive industry's AIS 129 standard that requires 80% recyclability.