[Gansan]

There is only one thing to be done. We should postpone new car purchase for the next few years, till there is clarity in the matter. Squeeze the current rides for a few more years.

But I have not had any issues from my 2009 model Alto (E5 maximum according to the manual) and 2000 model Splendor (What is ethanol?) so far. The Splendor at least is Carburettor model, but the car is FI. I am just renewing the FC next month and will wait for a couple or three years before buying new. Else go for an Ev.

[Cresterk]

Casually asked about ethanol blending to the manager at the company owned HP outlet where I usually fill up. He said they were selling only E6 petrol. Not sure how correct that is but there are no markers on any of the pumps denoting ethanol rating.

I wish the govt would pass on the cost benefits to customers so they could choose what they wanted. I don’t think as many people would be upset if E20 cost proportionately less. Launch something like E85 at some 40rs per liter and you will have people willingly buying conversion kits for their cars, mileage be damned.

[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by Cresterk

Casually asked about ethanol blending to the manager at the company owned HP outlet where I usually fill up. He said they were selling only E6 petrol.

You can refer to Economic Times article from 16 Jun 2024 below.

Ethanol Blending across India stands at 15.4%.

14,600 petrol station dispending E20 petrol.

GOI on target for E20 petrol availability PAN India from 01 April 2025.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com...9.cms?from=mdr

[VICTOR-MIKE]

Originally Posted by Cresterk

Casually asked about ethanol blending to the manager at the company owned HP outlet where I usually fill up. He said they were selling only E6 petrol. Not sure how correct that is but there are no markers on any of the pumps denoting ethanol rating.

You can ask for the delivery challan. You'll find something like E10/E12/E20 Blended motor spirit (Petrol).

Last time I checked in my city, all have E12. XP95 and other premium fuels were E10.

JioBP had E5 till Early January, but now they dispense E12.

[Cresterk]

Originally Posted by VICTOR-MIKE

You can ask for the delivery challan. You'll find something like E10/E12/E20 Blended motor spirit (Petrol).

Last time I checked in my city, all have E12. XP95 and other premium fuels were E10.

JioBP had E5 till Early January, but now they dispense E12.

Ah they gave me a receipt that only has fuel density and liters on it. Didn’t have the ethanol % sadly. Will ask for delivery challan next time

[Col Mehta]

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

XtraGreen is not an issue, for there is clear branding that the fuel is a biodiesel blend. You know what you are getting.

Had biodiesel blending been so straightforward, why do the manuals of many cars explicitly warn against its usage?

Attachment 2608859

EN590 (upto 7% blend) compliance has become mainstream only recently. Post BS6.

Furthermore, having a fuel bunk in the family, I can confirm that even dealers were not given any intimation of B5 being sold as normal diesel. It just happened. We found out from the invoices.

Now, everyone is compelled to buy biodiesel blend, irrespective of their car being compatible with it or not. More worryingly, unlike ethanol blending, where there is plenty of public awareness and a clear roadmap, there is zero public knowledge in case of diesel. People are simply unaware that they are getting a blend.

Originally Posted by audioholic

The owners manual refers to B20 or even B100 bio diesel when it says not to use Bio Diesel. The manufacturer should have been more specific in this case. Toyota clearly mentions that upto B5 is no problem and even slightly beyond that, the fuel filter replacement interval is reduced. They haven’t said no upto B20.

I believe Gazette notifications are considered official intimations by the government. For B5 like i said earlier, there needn’t be explicit labelling just like E5 petrol. Only anything above that needs labelling or branding. And you say its mentioned in the invoice clearly.

These are some very informative discussions, thank you for bringing this up . Ethanol blending with petrol needs no introduction, but diesel blending is new for me.

Just to understand the situation - does B5 mean it's a 5% blended diesel? Blended with what exactly?

How much such blending current BS6 engines are compatible with or how much they can take before bad symptoms start showing up?

Pardon me if these questions are too basic, just trying to understand the potential effects of fuel blending (if any on diesel engines) before deciding on the next car.

[careind]

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

Unfortunately, that’s not the case anymore. Diesel is also a 5% blend of biofuel (B5). This has been done silently and stealthily, no public announcements unlike E20.

I could come across only one facebook/twitter message, purportedly from the IOCL handle, that is doing the rounds that supports the idea of Xtragreen being a biodiesel.
It would be of great help if someone can get the composition of Xtragreen.

The name Xtragreen suggests that it is green diesel and not bio diesel .
I understand that Xtragreen has a higher cetane value and Diesel additives (DMFA), but biodiesel ?

[Joe367]

Originally Posted by jalex77

The rubber fuel breather hose on my XL6 was bored by beetles(at 7400kms on the odo) which got attracted by the stench of Ethanol that can be easily sensed by them. We narrowly escaped from being burnt alive and my whole family was with me in the car then.

Fuel line in my Kwid was replaced twice because of this. Second time it was spraying petrol inside of the engine bay, it might have caught fire if we didn't notice the smell and continued with our journey. There were 2 small holes in the pipe like it was pierced by a needle or something. Service centre told me that such incidents are very common recently.

They did a pest repellent coating with last servicing and it has not happened since. I also spray hit on the fuel hose occasionally.

[gearedup]

Using a Celerio 2016 Petrol (NA 1.0 litre, E10 compatible) BS-IV, in Bengaluru, odo 60K but last last four years run only 15K.

Very confused after reading multiple articles here and elsewhere. Ethanol is said to have higher Octane and higher combustion rate, yet it contains less energy & therefore results in lower fuel efficiency. Also read that Ethanol improves the engine performance and reduces the knocking tendency (As if my engine was knocking earlier)

Never before in my life have I felt so challenged not being from a science background. I am not bothered about FE, but just cant drive worrying about components failure mid way while driving. I usually drive 20% in very heavy traffic & 80% on very remote roads, where getting stranded will be very bad. (Translation: I absolutely must worry about sudden issues and hence keep my car in top shape by resorting to changing about to be worn-out parts ahead of time. Knowing me, my service advisor had recommended clutch replacement also in next service though there is no major issue just slight jerks).

As the % of Ethanol in Petrol is gradually increasing, the direct impact could be on durability of fuel pipes, injectors and hoses etc. But not at all clear on impact to Engine & related components wherever combustion takes place. (Maybe its too simple & hence am missing the point altogether?)

Ethanol is said to be corrosive (since its hygroscopic) But some water content could have been transferred into the Plastic fuel tank all along even before we reached E10 (From the fuel station’s storage). We didn't worry then.

Over last 2-3 years my usage is just 50 kms weekly within City and two annual long drives. I can clearly make out the change in the sound of the engine, it seems to be humming (not growling) louder in top gear, no change in sound till 60 kmph. The car feels low on power in lower gears but not 4th gear/50 kmph onwards. Responsiveness to gear change in 1st & 2nd has become marginally slower (say a second more)

Will adding an additive help (Sta-bil used by Shankar.Balan) or is there anything else that we can do to be prepared for degradation that can lead to sudden stalling or am I being overly paranoid? Refer Post #108 by androdev, just trying to understand solution/precautions if any. (Sorry not a believer in “all will be well” )

I had switched to Synthetic Engine oil a few years ago for no reason (had not even read about E10 E20 E27 then), but are there any other ways to prevent sludge build up/ blockage in injectors etc?

While the posts on insects attacking the car is very concerning & enlightening – atleast I hopefully don’t have to worry about insects in a fully covered garage. How would poor me know that beetles get attracted to stench of Ethanol despite being a minor % mixed in motor spirit or are we being sold E100 labelled as petrol? Surely insects are smarter than us

To top this, been servicing the vehicle from Pratham motors Bellandur from day one but lost trust since last service. Expecting Maruti ASS to simply say “Nothing to worry saar”.

Waiting for Flex fuel or Hybrid markets to mature and hence question of changing car doesn’t arise currently (As mentioned by Gansan too in post# 166. Government can change anything any time anyhow, although with due respects, this Ethanol adaption was in the works for a long time but simply there isn’t any transparency or transition plan)

Mods, sorry couldn’t find other thread/post that helps answer the specifics, apologies for the long post!

[itwasntme]

A holistic update: https://psuwatch.com/newsupdates/eth...es-159-in-june

[Lux_Noob]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

A holistic update: https://psuwatch.com/newsupdates/eth...es-159-in-june

What does avg. blending mean? Does it mean most fuel being dispensed is now 15% ethanol or it is a simple ratio of (all ethanol put across petrol categories)/(all petrol dispensed)? E.g. at a pump if they have 1 e10 nozzle and 1 e20 nozzle , the average is 15 (assuming equal sales) but doesn’t mean all fuel has 15% ethanol.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by Lux_Noob

What does avg. blending mean? Does it mean most fuel being dispensed is now 15% ethanol or it is a simple ratio of (all ethanol put across petrol categories)/(all petrol dispensed)? E.g. at a pump if they have 1 e10 nozzle and 1 e20 nozzle , the average is 15 (assuming equal sales) but doesn’t mean all fuel has 15% ethanol.

I think it's a very broad figure derived by simply dividing the quantum of petrol with that of ethanol. Nothing very granular at all.

As a pointer in Karnataka at least, petrol is ~12% mixed with ethanol from various reports.

[itwasntme]

Looks like GoI just bumped up the rollout timelines:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/.../112433570.cms

[Mustang Sammy]

An update on the impact of mandating ethanol addition to fuels. India is now a Net IMPORTER of corn to fulfill the increased demand. So much for import substitution.

A push by India to make more corn-based ethanol has turned Asia's top corn exporter into a net importer for the first time in decades, squeezing local poultry producers and scrambling global supply chains.
The jump in import demand comes after India in January hiked the procurement price of ethanol made from corn to drive a shift away from sugarcane-based ethanol for blending in gasoline.
With the government promoting ethanol in gasoline to reduce carbon emissions and trying to ensure ample supply of cheap sugar in the world's biggest market for the sweetener, India appears set to become a permanent net importer of corn .


Link to full article: https://www.reuters.com/markets/comm...et-2024-09-04/

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by Mustang Sammy

An update on the impact of mandating ethanol addition to fuels. India is now a Net IMPORTER of corn to fulfill the increased demand. So much for import substitution.
[/b].[/i]

Normally I'd agree but better to be a net importer of corn than oil. The latter makes us hostage to too much geopolitics and downright nastiness.