India
Gadkari calls E20 fuel backlash a paid campaign
The Hindu·
Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday called E20 petrol anger a paid campaign. He spoke a day after rules allowed flex-fuel vehicles to run on up to E100 ethanol. Gadkari told a CII event that more than 20 crore two-wheelers and over 3 crore petrol cars have used E19-20 blends for three years without verified mass engine failures.
Prism
What It Means For You
- E20 petrol is 80 percent petrol and 20 percent ethanol under the blending programme.
- Flex-fuel vehicles can now be notified to run on blends up to nearly pure ethanol.
- Older vehicles not designed for 20 percent ethanol remain a consumer concern raised earlier.
What's Happening
- Gadkari said the E20 controversy had faded three months after loud criticism.
- The Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989 changes were notified a day before his remarks.
- He also reviewed 700 to 800 highway projects after social media complaints.
India Ethanol Blending Timeline
- The Ethanol Blended Petrol programme began with a pilot in 2001, with E5 in 2006.
- Blending stayed near 1.53 percent until 2013-14 before rising with new capacity.
- Gadkari said highways grew 1.6 times to 1.46 lakh km between 2014 and 2026.
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