[TusharK]

The government of India has set a fresh target of 30% for ethanol blending in petrol by 2030.



Initially, the government was aiming to achieve 20% ethanol blending in petrol by the end of this decade. However, it said that this target was achieved in March this year, 5 years ahead of schedule.

Deepak Ballani, Director General of the Indian Sugar & Bio-energy Manufacturers Association, said, “This year, we’ve already done around 19-20 percent. This is five years earlier than the target for 2030.”

Reports indicate that the government’s revised goal of 30% has received inter-ministerial approval

The aim is to improve our energy security by reducing our dependence on fossil fuel imports. As such, ethanol blending levels have been raised steadily over the past few years. The average blending was at 12.06% in FY2023 and 14.6% a year later. It reached 19.6% in February 2025.

India is said to have substituted 20 million metric tonnes of crude oil over the past decade, resulting in estimated foreign exchange savings of Rs 1.2 lakh crore.

Source: NDTV Profit

Link to Team-BHP News

[TheStoryweaver]

It’s such a dumb move. Manufacturers have just made changes to the machines for E20 compatibility and now in less than 5 years going up till 30% is first going to kill all the old machines and all new ones are going to be obsolete in no time

This is a real bad move and needs to be stopped. I don’t understand why they are hell bent on achieving over ambitious goals in name of saving money.

I do hope some intervention stops this from becoming a reality.

[AMG Power]

Originally Posted by TheStoryweaver

in name of saving money.

It’s got very little to do with saving money..it’s about making money.

[dr.aviansh]

Originally Posted by TheStoryweaver

It’s such a dumb move. Manufacturers have just made changes to the machines for E20 compatibility and now in less than 5 years going up till 30% is first going to kill all the old machines and all new ones are going to be obsolete in no time

It’s time they start to slab fuel rates as per Ethanol percentage.

I don’t mind spending 5-7 % extra to stick to a lower ethanol configuration if that’s compatible with the engine.

I don’t know the exact math, but one day the sole option would be to convert the car to CNG. ��

[furyrider]

Reports indicate that the government’s revised goal of 30% has received inter-ministerial approval

Why increase the ethanol percentage in increments? Why don't they replace Petrol with 100% ethanol and be done with it? We would happily go back to riding bullock carts.

The aim is to improve our energy security by reducing our dependence on fossil fuel imports.

The only aim I could see is to increase the wallet size of a particular minister who also happens to be in the sugar cane / sugar business. Any sane person with 2 working braincells would see this as conflict of interest from a mile away, but not in our country, I guess. (Mods, apologies in advance. I know posting political matters is not encouraged on this forum)

India is said to have substituted 20 million metric tonnes of crude oil over the past decade, resulting in estimated foreign exchange savings of Rs 1.2 lakh crore.

And not a single penny was passed on to the general public. I wonder where all the savings went.

[Gansan]

It is a perfectly good move, if they implement it properly. Replacing 30% of our total imported petroleum needs with locally made renewable stuff is no small feat. That money is going to circulate only within our economy, even if our pump prices are not reduced. Probably pump prices are not going up further because of this reason too.

I understand Brazil has from 0:100 ethanol/petrol all the way up to 100:0, with varying blends and price points in between, and they are none the worse for it. I read FIAT is the Maruti of Brazil and they have cars which will run on pure ethanol or pure gas, or any blend of the two.

[abhijet.sen]

Govt is fleecing money from Petrol users. Agree that they need to pay for Oil bond issue from the UPA era, however, international prices have significantly dropped. Moreover, if blending is already at 20% that itself should be giving good buffer. They can't claim either that they need money to construct new high ways. As we do pay perpetual toll taxes on any new highway. In my view, they can easily drop prices Rs 5-10 but not doing it for some purpose unknown to commoners.

[arjab]

For older cars, even for present day BS-6 compliant vehicles, this may turn out to be a serious issue and make some of them undriveable.
Already many older cars, pre BS-4 models, in metro cities have started exhibiting issues. Cold starting problems, higher fuel consumption, tardy acceleration etc.
Apart from its corrosive nature in attacking rubber components, ethanol also results in power loss and fuel inefficiency in vehicles. Hence to cover the same distance one would be actually burning up more petrol with E30 doped petrol.

What I do not understand is that globally, no country till date has an ethanol doping of 30%. Even Brazil, the country which has fathered flex fuel vehicles since eons, the doping is less than 30%.



Let there be a serious technical feasibility study done by knowledgeable subject matter experts before bringing in something like this. Not everyone in India can throw away their old cars to buy new one's or is in a position to buy EV's.

[@ppy.tbhp]

The Ethanol Blending Illusion – My Experience as an E20 Car Owner in India

I bought a BS6 Phase 2 petrol car back in February 2024. It’s E20 compliant, meaning it’s specifically built to run on the E20 ethanol fuel blend the government has been pushing for. Since then, I’ve driven over 20,000 Kms, across cities and states in India. And let me be very clear—I’ve almost never found E20 fuel available anywhere till date. The only time I managed to find it was around August–September 2024, at BPCL COCO outlets (Corporation Owned and Corporation Operated), where E20 was being dispensed from a dedicated separate fuel dispenser, E20 fuel was red-colored. I filled up a couple of full tanks and ran my car on E20 for about 4,000 kms. And honestly? The difference was real. The engine felt smoother, quieter, with fewer vibrations. It just ran better—exactly how it's supposed to. But ever since then? Nothing. Zero. No E20 anywhere. I’ve had no choice but to go back to E10, even though my car is built for something better.

It’s honestly frustrating. How are we supposed to move toward a cleaner, greener future when the fuel itself is just not available?

We, the consumers in India, did our part—we upgraded to newer, less polluting vehicles, spent more money for better tech, and trusted the timelines we were promised. But what’s the point of owning an E20 car when you can’t get E20 fuel? And to make it worse, when E20 was available, there was no pricing benefit either. It was being sold at the same price as regular petrol, despite being a lower-octane fuel. So where’s the incentive?

Now, I see news about E30 being pushed as the next step—without any real infrastructure, without proper labeling, and without any thought about the consequences. Honestly, it’s hard not to be angry. If E30 starts showing up in pumps and people unknowingly fill it in vehicles not designed for it, it’s going to cause serious problems. Newer engines that aren’t made for it will suffer. And older engines? They could be seriously mechanically damaged. Also, let’s not forget - the BS6 Phase 2 emission norms officially came into effect in April 2023. It's now April 2025. That’s two full years, and we still don’t have E20 fuel available across the country.

So what exactly have we achieved? These kinds of policies only work if they’re implemented properly and on time. Right now, there are no real environmental gains, and definitely no value for consumers. It's just a bunch of announcements with no ground-level follow-through. We're not just heading toward a messy transition—we're already in the middle of it. All we’re asking for is basic accountability. Give us the fuel our engines are built for. Roll it out properly. Label it clearly. Don’t rush to the next blend when you haven’t even implemented the current one. Right fuel for the right engine—that’s not too much to ask.

[aaggoswami]

Why is this needed in the first place is a question.
The carbon footprint of ICE running on day to day basis goes down ?

If not, what is the use of this blending ?
The cars sold in India are now, lets consider E20. In next 5 years, if this is executed, the cars that are 5 year old will be obsolete as they are not E30 ready.

Adding to the problem of obsolete machines, we will have petrol prices which shall still be linked with market rates of crude which in itself is a blatant lie. So in reality, we will pay heavy fuel price which is blended fuel, and majority will have machines which are not fit for E30.

Another indirect push for sales of newer vehicles could be a hidden agenda ?

[arjab]

Originally Posted by TheStoryweaver

It’s such a dumb move. Manufacturers have just made changes to the machines for E20 compatibility and now in less than 5 years going up till 30% is first going to kill all the old machines and all new ones are going to be obsolete in no time

This is a real bad move and needs to be stopped. I don’t understand why they are hell bent on achieving over ambitious goals in name of saving money.

I do hope some intervention stops this from becoming a reality.

This is a roundabout way to force your existing car into obsolescence or make you buy branded 95 octane petrol where the doping % will be less. In both cases you'll be spending more money and contributing more to the government's coffers.

[rahulkr14]

As @arjab has rightly pointed out, ethanol blended fuel like E20 is not great for older cars. My car is not E20 compatible. What I struggle with at certain fuel stations is identifying whether the petrol is E20 or normal. Ideally, fuel pumps are supposed to be clearly marked showing the type of fuel. But many fuel pumps, even in Mumbai, do not have that marking and the attendants have no idea what kind of fuel it is. Some attendants have told me that COCO pumps (HPCL) are using only E20. But again, there is no marking at the pump itself. This becomes very difficult for owners of older vehicles. I do not know how it will be once the ethanol blending percentage goes on increasing!

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by @ppy.tbhp

I bought a BS6 Phase 2 petrol car back in February 2024. It’s E20 compliant, meaning it’s specifically built to run on the E20 ethanol fuel blend the government has been pushing for. Since then, I’ve driven over 20,000 Kms, across cities and states in India. And let me be very clear—I’ve almost never found E20 fuel available anywhere till date.

There is no separate E20 branding anymore because all petrol is now E20. It is the default spec. All this has been discussed in detail in the E20 petrol related threads.

[TheStoryweaver]

Originally Posted by arjab

This is a roundabout way to force your existing car into obsolescence or make you buy branded 95 octane petrol where the doping % will be less. In both cases you'll be spending more money and contributing more to the government's coffers.

Initially, Petrol bunks started dispensing e20 separately, no price difference. Very meagre response.

Then, the normal fuel got replaced with E20, half of the people never understood what happened.

Now, they amping it upto 30% with no thought of existing machinery on ground.

It may push people who care for their machines to use 95 octane fuel but what about fact it is not available everywhere. Whenever i travel to HP there is no high octane fuel.

Many people bought vehicles in past 2-3 years. Highest automobile sale happened last year . Are they going to disregard them all?

This decision either is a paper show or going to be intervened soon by refineries/ auto manufacturers.

[humyum]

Some subject matter expert should head this ministry, not illiterate, gundas who haphazardly decide on numbers to fuel their sugar mills, make them rich. Such nonsense won't run a country.

--> https://www.chinimandi.com/maharasht...on-and-supply/

Headline--> Maharashtra will meet the target to supply 121 crore litres of ethanol by sugar mills to OMCs for ESY 2024-25:

and guess who owns these sugar mills?

--> https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/.../115122924.cms

So its Chor Machaye Shor!

The government is anything but people friendly, their only friends are automobile guys, sugar mill guys and big industrialists, they want to keep the people poor and fighting for them to remain on that throne. This news will not even create a hue and cry as media is sold. We are all goners!