[carboy]

Originally Posted by vikrantj

I would say it is a double edged sword on one side it will increase food prices and lead to farmers reducing diversity of crop. But on the other hand it will force innovation in auto industry for India. We might start seeing better products rather than age old engines dumped on us.

So you think the main positive from mandating ethanol blend is that everyone will be forced to dump their old cars & buy new cars with better engines.

[mac187]

Originally Posted by carboy

So you think the main positive from mandating ethanol blend is that everyone will be forced to dump their old cars & buy new cars with better engines.

Thats hardly a positive, we dont have proper car disposal procedures. People will end up driving their cars till it dies mid-way and leave it there. That would only be more hazardous to the environment.

Also what about all the tax payers money that would go in buying fancy new cars for the ministers and bureaucrats. Also would it mean replacing the public transport fleets? That would cost alot and can't be done overnight. I know for sure that BMTC uses Bio-Diesel not sure about other state transports.

Also, why shouldn't I have the right to use what I want? I want to use my Roadking and I am ready to pay extra tax for it.

Dont get me wrong, its a welcome move but as always govt announcements are just that 'announcements' there is no plan or road map of how to get there.

[Rennjit]

What of Premium fuels, would they be spared of the nasty ethanol? when i'm paying ~10 rs more for premium motor spirit it should atleast be just petrol, not stinky fruit juice

[carboy]

Originally Posted by mac187

Dont get me wrong, its a welcome move but as always govt announcements are just that 'announcements' there is no plan or road map of how to get there.

Well, I am saying that it's not a welcome move. And it would be great if there is no plan or road map of how to get there because I don't want us to get there.

I have always felt that a Govt that does nothing is the best Govt and this particular case strengthens my belief.

[sgiitk]

I think UP (and MH) have had Ethanol blend for over five years. Only never saw the price cut which was promised.

[Cowardly Lion]

I think it is now time to start creeping acquisition of shares of Sugar companies..! Especially those based in UP/Maharashtra..!

[MHG]

Bumping up old thread - it has been nearly two years since the mandate of E10 from December 2012; ARE we using E10 in our petrol cars right now in India ? Because it doesn't look like we are.

[Swapnil4585]

Bumping up an old thread with an update.

From October 2015, mixing 10% Ethanol in petrol is made compulsory. Sugar manufacturers had held a meeting with the PM, and based on the meeting, the Petroleum Ministry has been asked to make it mandatory for Oil Marketing Companies to mix 10% Ethanol in petrol.

Currently, mixing 5% Ethanol is required, however since shortage of the same, Oil Marketing Companies mix only 2% of it.

The said decision is made in order to help the sugar manufacturers cope with the problem of excess production of sugar and resultant losses incurred. It is claimed that producing good quality Ethanol can earn the sugar manufacturers with a good profit.

[carboy]

Screwing car owners to help Sugar Manufacturers. Robbing Peter to pay Paul.

[Shadowspy]

Originally Posted by carboy

Screwing car owners to help Sugar Manufacturers. Robbing Peter to pay Paul.

That's because car owners don't have a powerful lobby.
Look at the state of our roads. After paying all kinds of taxes just to buy a car and then taxes to fill it with fuel, those taxes are not used to improve the road infrastructure of our cities.
As it is we are damaging our cars by driving them on horrible pot-holed roads. In addition to this we will further damage them by filling ethanol (are we sure it is pure ethanol?) blended fuel.

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by carboy

Screwing car owners to help Sugar Manufacturers. Robbing Peter to pay Paul.

That's politics lesson 101 for you.
Ideally this kind of downturn would eliminate the sick sugar industries, raise the price of sugar and perhaps curtail the consumption leading to better health of people, but then there are far too many political vested interests (most of the MH and UP private sugar firms have political backing and the cooperatives are also no less). Then there are far too many inefficient cooperatives and PSU banks who have given loans to such sugar industries whose heads would also roll.

On the other hand, I don't really have a problem with gasohol. Are there any technical reasons against ethanol? I believe the sulfur content will decrease and the octane number will increase. Calorific value will decrease (therefore you will need to burn more fuel to achieve the same power). Perhaps it will lead to lesser mileage?


On a kind of similar note, do you know that GOI plans to raise the import duty of steel by 5% or so. This is to help the domestic steel producers. But what happens to us (consumers) in the end? Higher price for everything, even though there is an economic downturn!

[carboy]

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars...damage-engine/

Ethanol can damage cars which weren't designed with ethanol in mind.

[KomS_CarLog]

Ethanol is about to get some backing in the near future, if we are to believe this piece of news

To curb pollution, the government next month will announce a policy to allow automakers to manufacture flexible-fuel vehicles in the country, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari today said. We are working on a policy on flexi-fuel vehicles. These vehicles can run entirely on ethanol, but also have option for petrol. I will make this announcement before January 26," Gadkari said at the annual general meeting of the Indian Sugar Mills Association

Not much research or study is required to finalise the policy as countries like the US and Brazil are already implementing it, he said

The minister has asked Germany's biggest car maker, Volkswagen, to make flexi-fuel vehicles for India

[Turbopetrol]

As per government vision to bring down pollution and petrol cost, they are soon going to unveil the policy on blending 15% methanol in petrol.

Would this blending be a concern for current petrol engines with respect to performance/maintenance?


Sources:
----------

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nationa...le21382251.ece

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com...w/61997600.cms

[catchjyoti]

Sometime back I was hearing Gadkari's push to blend ethanol with petrol. I knew at that time one of the main thrusts to get it done was to help the sugarcane sector in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.

Wonder why it suddenly moved from ethanol to methanol? While sugarcane would have been the base for ethanol, it would be coal for methanol.