The government is likely to roll out E85, a much higher ethanol-blended petrol, by the year-end to reduce costly oil imports, after a series of consultations with Indian automobile manufacturers who told authorities they are fully equipped with thetechnologies required to make flex-fuel cars. Two people aware of the matter said the rollout follows confirmation from automakers that they can produce vehicles capable of running on elevated ethanol blends.
E85 petrol contains 85% ethanol and 15% petrol. Flex-fuel vehicles are designed to run on any mixture of ethanol and petrol — from E20 to E100 — with onboard sensors adjusting fuel injection and ignition parameters automatically.
Consumers will have a choice of what cars they buy according to the level of blended fuel they prefer, as India aims to put in place a biofuels policy that will provide for multiple petrol mixes at petrol stations, one of the two people said.
In other words, such fuel will be sold alongside existing petrol with lower ethanol blending. At present, India has E20 (20% ethanol blend) petrol across the country.
The Bureau of Indian Standards, the national quality regulator, has already prepared norms for E85 petrol. Blenders and refiners will have to comply with these specifications. The bureau is also targeting the release of standards for E22, E25 and E26 by April 30, meant for petrol with 22%, 25% and 26% ethanol content respectively.
Brazil, the world’s largest sugar producer, launched the world’s most mature flex-fuel programme in 2003; a large share of new cars sold there are flex-fuel capable, running on blends up to E100, with lifecycle carbon reductions of up to 90% over fossil petrol. Ethanol is derived from molasses, a byproduct of sugar refining. India is the world’s second-largest producer of the sweetener.
“The speedy transition to higher fuel blends is aimed at ensuring energy security at a time of continuing geopolitical uncertainty. A move towards higher ethanol blending will save oil imports. It will also raise farmers’ income,” the second person said.
The decision to kick off the E85 programme follows a series of meetings with automobile manufacturers and ethanol producers. Indian distillers currently have a combined capacity to produce 20 billion litres of ethanol, against present demand of about 10 billion litres. Higher blending will help absorb the surplus.
Automobile companies are ready to launch flex-fuel cars, which emit far less carbon, said Vikram Gulati, country head of Toyota Kirloskar Motor, which had displayed a sedan version for a visiting media team in December last year at a plant of the Triveni Group, one of the country’s largest ethanol producers.
The Modi government had in 2021 advanced the target of mixing petrol with 20% ethanol by five years to 2025 — known as the E20 programme — as a strategy to cut emissions and save up to $4 billion in oil imports annually. That target was achieved in July last year.
“India has an inherent advantage in producing ethanol due to its unique ecosystem that binds farmers and millers in historic partnerships,” said Deepak Ballani, director-general of the Indian Sugar & Bio-energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA).
