Key highlights
- Government is looking at ethanol blending beyond the current E20 level
- Higher blends are expected to be limited to flex-fuel vehicles
- Wider availability of high-ethanol fuels will be needed alongside FFV adoption
India could eventually move towards ethanol blends higher than E20, but the next phase is expected to be closely linked to the adoption of flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs). Tarun Kapoor, adviser to the Prime Minister, said the government is now focusing on higher ethanol blends through vehicles specifically engineered to handle them.
Speaking at the India Sugar and Bio-Energy Conference, Kapoor described the E20 programme as successful and said the focus would now shift towards flex-fuel vehicles and allowing ethanol blending at levels above 20 percent. This would allow India to use more of its growing domestic ethanol production while reducing dependence on imported crude oil.
Change won’t happen immediately
The important distinction is that higher ethanol blends are not being proposed as an immediate replacement for E20 petrol across all vehicles. Flex-fuel vehicles are specifically designed to operate on a wide range of ethanol-petrol mixtures. This requires changes to the fuel system, engine calibration and other components to handle ethanol’s different properties.
India has already begun moving towards higher-concentration fuels. E85, containing up to 85 percent ethanol, has been introduced specifically for compatible flex-fuel vehicles. Such vehicles can adjust their fuelling based on ethanol content, allowing them to run on different blends.
The push also comes as India faces increasing ethanol production capacity. Kapoor noted that domestic ethanol production has grown beyond earlier expectations, creating a need for additional avenues to consume the fuel. Higher blends in compatible vehicles could help absorb some of this surplus while supporting India’s energy-security objectives.
However, fuel availability will be just as important as vehicle availability. E85 dispensing infrastructure is currently being expanded, with plans for hundreds of stations initially and a much larger network over the coming years.
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