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- Ethanol Petrol Controversy; Fuel Blending Scientific Process | Petroleum Ministry
New Delhi5 hours ago
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During 2013 and 2014, 1.5% ethanol was being mixed in petrol. Now 20% blending is being done.
Amidst the protests over mixing ethanol in petrol, the government on Saturday said that the work of ethanol blending was not done overnight. It is a tried-and-tested, scientific and step-by-step process and does not cause any harm to the vehicles. Global practice of mixing it in petrol has been adopted and top agencies have also tested it.
Vartika Shukla, an expert from the government, said this in the press conference of industry experts held in Delhi on ethanol blending. Vartika Shukla told that during the years 2013 and 2014, only 1.5% ethanol was being mixed in petrol in the country.
Now under this program 20% ethanol blending (E20) is being done in petrol. The target of 20% ethanol blending has been achieved five years ahead of schedule i.e. by December 2025.
However, the government had told the Supreme Court four days ago that the program of mixing 20% ethanol in petrol is still an experiment. Its full impact will be known by next year.
No evidence of damage to vehicles found in testing
Apart from experts from the government and former CMD of Engineers India Limited, Vartika Shukla, Circle Head of Bajaj Auto Manpreet Singh and Senior Vice President of TVS Prashant Krishnan were present in the press conference.
He was also joined by Toyota Kirloskar Motor Country Head Vikram Gulati, Maruti Suzuki Senior Executive Officer Rahul Bharti, Hyundai India’s Punit Anand and Hero Moto’s Ashutosh Verma.
Experts say that no evidence of damage to the vehicles has been found in the large-scale testing. Experts have held a press conference amidst the ongoing claims on social media regarding the performance of the vehicle.
Ethanol is also being used in high performance Formula One cars
Vartika Shukla said that the objective of this program is to reduce carbon emissions. This fuel is completely compliant with Bharat Stage VI (BS VI) standards. Vikram Gulati said that ethanol based fuel is also used in high performance Formula One racing cars.
Maruti did not find any fault in E20 fuel
Maruti’s Rahul Bharti said India has made E20 fuel mandatory from 2023. The main concern is regarding vehicles manufactured and sold before 2023, which needs to be resolved. However, we did not find anything of concern in the E20 fuel in our testing.
Former IOCL Chief said – more rumors, no scientific evidence
B Ashok, former chairman of Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), said that the ethanol blending program strengthened India’s energy security, increased farmers’ income and reduced carbon emissions.
He clarified that no evidence has been found in scientific studies that E20 fuel causes damage to the vehicle engine or has a significant impact on the mileage. The concerns being raised regarding this are just misunderstandings or exaggerated claims.
Why are there protests in India?
- In India, there is opposition to this mixture of 20% ethanol and 80% petrol i.e. E20-petrol. Especially the owners of petrol vehicles manufactured before 2023 are worried.
- They claim that due to this fuel the mileage of vehicles is decreasing, maintenance costs are increasing and engine parts are getting damaged quickly.
- However, the Government of India says that ethanol does cause a slight reduction in mileage, but it improves the pickup and engine performance of the vehicle.
Top agencies like SIAM have done testing
Expert Shukla said that especially in the year 2018, the Ethanol Blending Program (EBP) was put before all the stakeholders in a structured manner for discussion and deliberations. This entire program is based on scientific evidence.
The ethanol blending program has the full support of automotive manufacturers and key agencies supporting them. Top agencies like Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and SIAM have tested it.
According to Vartika Shukla, this program of mixing ethanol in petrol is completely in line with the global best practices adopted across the world. Through this, fossil fuel is being made ‘green’, so that carbon emissions in the environment can be reduced to a great extent.
Read this news also…
Bhutan refused to take E20 petrol from India: Told the risk of vehicle damage, said – as long as it is available; give only normal petrol
While there is controversy and protest in the country over the Indian Government’s decision to introduce E20 i.e. 20% ethanol blended petrol, the neighboring country Bhutan has refused to accept E20 petrol from Indian Oil Companies (OMCs).
According to the report of Bhutanese media ‘The Bhutanese’, Bhutan has requested India to supply them only old petrol without adulteration as long as normal petrol is available in the Indian market. Read the full news…
