The Centre and leading automobile manufacturers on Saturday defended the nationwide rollout of petrol blended with 20 per cent ethanol (E20), saying extensive testing and real-world service data show no evidence of widespread engine damage despite growing public concerns over vehicle compatibility and fuel efficiency.
The E20 fuel has come under scrutiny on social media in recent days, with motorists questioning whether older vehicles designed for lower ethanol blends could suffer corrosion, increased wear or reduced engine performance.
Automakers, including Maruti Suzuki, Hero MotoCorp and Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said both new and older vehicles can safely operate on E20 fuel.
Maruti Suzuki, India’s largest carmaker, said it had serviced more than 15 million vehicles manufactured before 2023 over the past two years, including models that were not originally certified for E20, and had not observed any fuel-related issues.
“As a manufacturer, we have tested E10 cars which were prevalent before 2023 on E20 fuel for all parameters and we have not found anything of concern,” Rahul Bharti, Senior Executive Officer for Corporate Affairs at Maruti Suzuki, said during a joint press conference with government officials.
Industry representatives acknowledged that E20 fuel results in a modest reduction in fuel efficiency of around 3 to 3.5 per cent because ethanol contains less energy than conventional petrol. However, they said its higher octane rating enables manufacturers to develop engines with higher compression ratios, potentially improving performance, torque, drivability and, over time, overall fuel efficiency.
Officials also dismissed viral social media claims linking E20 to engine failures, stating that at least one widely circulated incident was traced to contaminated fuel rather than the ethanol blend itself.
They added that E20 remains the highest ethanol blend currently validated for regular petrol-powered vehicles, and any future move towards higher ethanol blends would require fresh testing and regulatory approval. |
