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The use of ethanol-blended petrol (EBP) in vehicles has no negative impact on vehicle compatibility, any significant variations in performance or show abnormal wear and tear, says the ministry of petroleum & natural gas.
In a written reply to Rajya Sabha recently, it said oil companies and government of India, after noticing media reports and social media concerns on E20 fuel use, formed an inter-ministerial committee.
Studies by Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), after extensive field trials on vehicles with E20 fuel, did not indicate negative effect.
Experts and the public have highlighted that use of ethanol as fuel reduces efficiency as a majority of vehicles are not compatible with blending. They state that along with a drop in mileage, use of EBP could result in recurrent cost of repairing spares and affect longevity.
“Even legacy vehicles on E20 don't exhibit big variations in performance or abnormal wear and tear. No issues reported in drivability, startability, metal compatibility and plastic compatibility,” says the reply.
The report from ARAI, SIAM and Federation of Indian Petroleum Industry says use of E20 fuel gives better acceleration, ride quality and lowers carbon emissions by 30% compared to E10.
“Ethanol’s higher heat of vaporization reduces intake manifold temperatures, increasing air-fuel mixture density and boosting volumetric efficiency,” it says.
Deepak Ballani, director general of Indian Sugar & Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association, says, “None of the IOCs or vehicle manufactures has raised complaints on vehicles using E20. Multiple industries are conducting studies and none has given negative feedback,” he says and adds there could be slight dip in mileage (2%-4%).
“If a car is clocking 15 km per litre of petrol, E-20 blended fuel can give 14.8 km per litre. This is negligible given the multiple benefits to farmers and foreign exchange,” he says.
The government claims the EBP programme has resulted in farmers receiving Rs 1.36 lakh crore from supply of ethanol between 2014-15 and Oct 2025.
It has been able to save Rs 1.55 lakh crore of foreign exchange due to blending of ethanol extracted from sugarcane and other foodgrains.
It says use of E10 and E20 has resulted in reducing about 790 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of carbon dioxide emissions and use of 260 lakh MT of crude oil.
As of October, India has achieved average blending of 19.97% ethanol in petrol.