India’s ethanol rush prompts anger among vehicle owners, questions for gov’t
Indian gas stations now only offer fuel with 20 percent ethanol blended in. But the rushed move has triggered concerns about lower mileage, damage to
Indian gas stations now only offer fuel with 20 percent ethanol blended in. But the rushed move has triggered concerns about lower mileage, damage to cars and has thrust the Modi government into the eye of a political controversy. When Krishna Kumar pulled into a petrol station in New Delhi a few months ago, he expected nothing more than a routine fuel stop. Instead, like millions of motorists across India, he found that E20 petrol – a blend containing 20 percent ethanol – was the only fuel available. He had little choice but to fill up. Within weeks, the bank employee began noticing changes in the way his petrol sedan behaved on the road. His sedan, which had always been serviced on time and had never given him big problems, no longer felt as responsive. Its fuel efficiency declined, acceleration became sluggish and driving uphill or with the air conditioner on seemed noticeably different. The mileage, he said, dropped from about 18-20km (11-12 miles) per litre (0.26 gallons) to about 16-17km (10-11 miles) per litre – a drop of more than 10 percent. “The acceleration is slower, especially while overtaking, driving uphill or using the air conditioner,” he said. He hasn’t changed the way he drives; all that has changed is the fuel. Kumar’s plight is one that millions of car owners across India are suffering as the country completes one of the world’s fastest transitions to higher ethanol-blended petrol. Under the Policy on Biofuels, the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi advanced its target of achieving 20 percent ethanol blending from 2030 to 2025. E20 became mandatory across petrol stations last year. Despite initial concerns over the rush – India had, until then, had a maximum of 10 percent ethanol in its petrol – flagged by several consumers, calls for a review of the policy died down. But in June 2026, the government’s attorney general told India’s Supreme Court that the Modi administration was “experimenting” with a 20 percent ethanol blend. Even though the government later claimed that the attorney general had been misunderstood, the comments led to national outrage, with car users, opposition politicians and analysts – including a number of commentators politically aligned with the Modi government – questioning the policy. The government argues that the 20 percent ethanol blend will reduce dependence on imported crude oil, strengthen energy security, lower greenhouse gas emissions and create new income opportunities for farmers through increased demand for crops such as sugarcane and maize. But consumers and critics point out that vehicle mileage has dropped – a claim that federal Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has accepted – and some have alleged that the cocktail fuel has damaged car parts. Opposition parties have also accused Gadkari of a potential conflict of interest – his family is involved in companies linked to ethanol production. Yet at the heart of the national debate that the E20 petrol-ethanol mix has triggered is a single question that many are asking: Why has the government pushed through this fuel in such a rush?
The BriefWire