The government is likely to launch E85, a highly ethanol-blended petrol, by the end of the year to reduce costly oil imports, following a series of consultations with Indian automobile manufacturers, who told officials they are fully equipped with the technologies required to make flex-fuel cars. The rollout comes after automakers confirmed they could produce vehicles capable of running on higher ethanol blends, two people with knowledge of the matter said.
E85 petrol contains 85% ethanol and 15% petrol. Flex-fuel vehicles are designed to run on any blend of ethanol and gasoline – from E20 to E100 – with onboard sensors automatically adjusting fuel injection and ignition parameters.
Consumers will have a choice about which car they buy according to the level of blended fuel, as India aims to implement a biofuel policy that will offer multiple petrol blends at petrol stations, one of the two people said.
In other words, such fuel will be sold with low ethanol blending with existing petrol. Currently, E20 (20% ethanol blend) petrol is available across India.
The national quality regulator, Bureau of Indian Standards, has already prepared the norms for E85 petrol. Blenders and refiners must adhere to these specifications. The bureau is also aiming to release standards by April 30 for E22, E25 and E26, which are for gasoline with 22%, 25% and 26% ethanol content, respectively.
Brazil, the world’s largest sugar producer, launched the world’s most mature flex-fuel program in 2003; A large proportion of new cars sold there are flex-fuel capable, running on blends up to E100, which have lifecycle carbon reductions of up to 90% compared to fossil petrol. Ethanol is obtained from molasses, which is a byproduct of sugar refining. India is the second largest sweetener producer in the world.
“The rapid shift towards higher fuel blends is aimed at ensuring energy security at a time of continued geopolitical uncertainty. The move towards higher ethanol blends will save on oil imports. It will also increase farmers’ income,” the second person said.
The decision to launch the E85 program has been taken after a series of meetings with automobile manufacturers and ethanol producers. Indian distillers currently have a combined capacity to produce 20 billion liters of ethanol against the current demand of about 10 billion litres. High blending will help absorb the surplus.
Automobile companies are ready to launch flex-fuel cars that emit much less carbon, said Vikram Gulati, country head, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, who in December last year displayed a sedan version for a visiting media team at a plant of Triveni Group, one of the country’s largest ethanol producers.
The Modi government had extended the target of blending petrol with 20% ethanol by five years to 2025 – known as the E20 program – as a strategy to cut emissions and save up to $4 billion annually in oil imports in 2021. That target was achieved in July last year.
“India has an inherent advantage in ethanol production because of its unique ecosystem that binds farmers and millers in a historic partnership,” said Deepak Ballani, director general, Indian Sugar and Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA).
