India says no plan now to raise ethanol mix in gasoline from 20%
- The 20% ethanol-blended petrol, called E20, becomes the only fuel sold at India's 90,000 petrol pumps at the end of last year
NEW DELHI: India has no plans to raise the ethanol content in gasoline beyond the current 20%, junior oil minister Suresh Gopi said on Monday, amid fears of further increases and criticism that the blend reduces efficiency and vehicle performance.
The 20% ethanol-blended petrol, called E20, became the only fuel sold at India’s 90,000 petrol pumps at the end of last year, causing uproar among motorists in the world’s third-largest car market.
Any decision to increase the ethanol share in gasoline will be taken only after “detailed scientific and technical studies” and consultations with stakeholders, including automakers, fuel retailers, and feedstock suppliers, Gopi said in written answers to parliament.
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No rollback of E20
Gopi said there was no plan to revert to E10 or pure gasoline, and the government wanted to move forward with a “superior fuel”.
The government has received no complaints of declining vehicle performance, engine failure, corrosion, and fuel pump issues linked to E20 use, he said, adding that vehicles designed for E10 experience only a marginal 3% to 5% drop in fuel efficiency when using E20.
“Had ethanol blending been causing systemic damage to engines or fuel systems, such failures would have resulted in large-scale warranty claims, service campaigns, and widespread consumer complaints, none of which have been reported.”
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Diversifying ethanol feedstocks
To cut dependence on a single crop, India produces ethanol from a range of products, including sugarcane-based feedstocks, maize, damaged foodgrains, broken rice, and foodgrains unfit for human consumption.
The move to diversify is also aimed at shifting production towards less water-intensive crops such as maize, whose share in India’s ethanol programme has risen from zero to 37% in five years to 2025/26.
Gopi said India’s ethanol blending programmes will ensure that water sustainability, food security, and farmers’ interests remain “paramount”.
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