'No abnormal wear & tear': Centre reiterates E20 safe for vehicles
The Indian government has defended the E20 ethanol-blended petrol program, stating that laboratory and field tests show no evidence of abnormal wear and tear on vehicles. Officials emphasized the program's strategic importance in reducing reliance on crude oil imports.
Why it matters
The policy is central to India's energy security strategy and has significant implications for the automotive industry and consumer fuel costs.
NEW DELHI: The central government on Thursday defended the E20 blending programme in Lok Sabha, saying that there was no evidence that E20 caused any "abnormal" wear and tear to the vehicles. "These studies also established that legacy vehicles do not exhibit any significant variation in performance or abnormal wear and tear due to E20," said minister of state for petroleum and natural gas Suresh Gopi in a written reply according to news agency PTI.The minister said the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme was rolled out in phases following scientific validation and consultations with NITI Aayog, automobile manufacturers, the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), oil marketing companies (OMCs) and other technical bodies.He added that extensive laboratory testing and field trials by ARAI, SIAM, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), the Indian Institute of Petroleum and automobile manufacturers had established that E20 fuel is…
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