E20 fuel safe for all vehicles, say experts, allaying concerns

Industry experts, including representatives from major automakers, have allayed concerns over E20 ethanol-blended petrol, stating it has undergone extensive scientific testing and is safe for all vehicles, including those made before the E20 mandate.

Industry experts on Saturday sought to allay concerns over the use of E20 ethanol-blended petrol, saying the fuel has undergone extensive scientific testing, meets stringent quality standards and is safe even for vehicles manufactured before the E20 mandate and also helps in reducing India's dependence on crude oil imports.

Addressing a press conference, the experts said India's ethanol blending programme was implemented through a phased and science-based approach involving extensive consultation with automakers, testing agencies and other stakeholders before its nationwide rollout.

Science-Backed Policy, Not Sudden Decision

Opening the discussion, former Engineers India Limited Chairman and Managing Director Vartika Shukla said the E20 programme was the result of years of scientific evaluation rather than a sudden policy decision. "This ethanol blending in petrol has been not done overnight, it is a measured scientifically driven step-by-step process," she said.

Highlighting the programme's progress, she said India increased ethanol blending in petrol from around 1.5 per cent in 2013-14 to 20 per cent by December 2025, achieving the target five years ahead of schedule. Shukla said the programme was backed by "scientific evidence, extensive testing" by automotive manufacturers, the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), and follows global practices adopted by countries including the US, Brazil, Canada and Germany. She added that ethanol blending had also helped lower crude oil imports, reducing India's vulnerability during recent geopolitical disruptions.

Automakers Confirm Rigorous Testing and Benefits

Vikram Gulati, Country Head and Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Governance, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said both vehicles and fuels in India undergo rigorous testing and certification before reaching consumers. "Vehicles that are made available to consumers are extremely well engineered, well designed and have a very immense element of oversight through technically sound testing agencies," he said.

Calling ethanol "a very good fuel", Gulati said it offers high performance while also helping reduce carbon emissions. "In an era when we are facing the issue of climate change... this is a zero carbon fuel because it's derived from plants," he said, adding that ethanol blending also helped cushion consumers and the economy when global crude oil supplies came under pressure.

Reassurance for Older Vehicles

Representing Maruti Suzuki India, Rahul Bharti, Corporate Affairs Senior Executive Officer, addressed concerns over older vehicles that were originally designed for E10 fuel. "As a manufacturer, we have tested E10 cars... on E20 fuel for all parameters and we have not found anything of concern," he said.

He added that the company had incorporated sufficient safety margins in vehicle design and testing to ensure there would be no issues related to wear and tear, corrosion or component life even when pre-2023 vehicles use E20 fuel.

Field Data Supports Safety

Speaking on behalf of Hero MotoCorp, its Chief Business Officer, Ashutosh Verma said extensive testing and field data from millions of two-wheelers also support the safety of E20 fuel. "We analyze crores of service data that we have, and... there is no incidence whatsoever of any higher damage with vehicles that run on E20 than the vehicles that were running on fuels prior to E20," he said. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)