What is the government’s defence on E20 fuel? | Explained
The Indian government has released a detailed document addressing public concerns regarding the E20 ethanol-blended fuel program. The report clarifies issues surrounding vehicle mileage reduction, engine corrosion, and the pricing of blended fuel compared to pure petrol.
Why it matters
As India pushes for higher ethanol blending to reduce oil imports, understanding the impact on consumer vehicles and environmental claims is critical for public policy and automotive industry standards.
In the face of continued criticism on social media, the government has once again come out with a detailed document addressing various concerns related to its ethanol blending programme, including the impact this would have on mileage, the advantages ethanol poses in terms of the environment and also in times of global turmoil, and why ethanol-blended petrol is currently not cheaper than pure petrol, even though oil prices had been falling until recently.
At the moment, the petrol sold in India is called E20, which means that for every litre of petrol, 20% of that is ethanol. The government has set its sights on taking this to E30 and has already notified quality parameters for E22, E25, E27, and E30 fuels and has announced central excise duty exemptions for these higher blends.
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