NEW DELHI: The central government may not immediately mandate a higher level of ethanol blending in petrol, choosing instead to leave the adoption of flex-fuel vehicles entirely to the discretion of buyers. This cautious shift in policy comes amid growing technical concerns that rushing blindly from E20 to E25 fuel could cause severe, irreversible damage to the engines of existing on-road vehicles. E25 petrol represents a blend containing 25% ethanol and 75% conventional gasoline. While E20 (20% ethanol blend) is currently being distributed widely across fuel stations in India, the higher E25 blend remains restricted to its preliminary trial stages.
Though expanding ethanol adoption helps significantly cut down crude oil imports, boost domestic farmers’ income, and lower carbon emissions, its immediate enforcement poses significant mechanical challenges for older powertrains. Most cars and two-wheelers manufactured in India between 2012 and March 2023 were strictly designed and certified to be E10-compliant. On the other hand, models produced from April 2023 are material-compliant with E20, but only vehicles sold from April 2025 onward are recognized as fully E20-compliant. Utilizing E25 in incompatible engines can trigger a 2% to 8% drop in fuel mileage due to ethanol’s lower energy density, cause cold-start issues, reduce pickup power, and degrade internal components like rubber hoses, gaskets, fuel injectors, and fuel pumps over time.
Recognizing these severe automotive risks, the government has temporarily paused its nationwide implementation strategy for E25. Although the Ministry is actively readying official standards for higher configurations including E22, E25, E27, and E30, the ongoing vehicular trials for E25 will naturally require more time to conclude safely. Given that many motorists are already registering complaints regarding reduced mileage even with the current E20 fuel, a nationwide rollout of higher ethanol blends will likely wait until specialized Flex-Fuel vehicles achieve substantial market penetration. The state is deliberately practicing an exceedingly measured approach to safely safeguard the country’s vast population of existing vehicle owners.
ലഘു വിവരണം നിലവിലുള്ള വാഹനങ്ങൾക്ക് എഞ്ചിൻ തകരാറും മൈലേജ് കുറവും ഉണ്ടാകുമെന്ന ആശങ്കയെത്തുടർന്ന് ഇ25 പെട്രോൾ രാജ്യവ്യാപകമായി നിർബന്ധമാക്കുന്നത് കേന്ദ്ര സർക്കാർ താൽക്കാലികമായി മാറ്റിവെച്ചു. പകരം ഫ്ലെക്സ് ഫ്യുവൽ വാഹനങ്ങൾ തിരഞ്ഞെടുക്കാനുള്ള സ്വാതന്ത്ര്യം ഉപയോക്താക്കൾക്ക് നൽകും. 25% എഥനോൾ അടങ്ങിയ ഇ25 ഇന്ധനം നിലവിൽ പരീക്ഷണ ഘട്ടത്തിലാണ്. പഴയ വാഹനങ്ങൾ ഇ10, ഇ20 എന്നിവയ്ക്ക് മാത്രം അനുയോജ്യമായതിനാൽ, ഫ്ലെക്സ് ഫ്യുവൽ വാഹനങ്ങൾ വിപണിയിൽ സജീവമായ ശേഷമേ ഇ25 വ്യാപകമായി വിതരണം ചെയ്യൂ.
(With inputs from NM)
For more details: Navamalayalam.com