Govt Notifies New Standards for Higher Ethanol-Petrol Blends

Govt has notified a new standard for higher ethanol-petrol blends — E22, E25, E27 and E30 fuels — paving the way for blending of ethanol in petrol beyond the current 20% level. The govt push to increase ethanol blending comes amid reports of availability of surplus ethanol and to reduce crude imports due to the conflict in West Asia, which has impacted the energy supply chain. The new BIS standard, published on May 15, has laid down specifications for fuel blends made by mixing completely free-of-water (anhydrous) ethanol with motor gasoline for use in “positive ignition engine-powered vehicles”, or petrol-powered vehicles. The standard has defined technical and quality parameters, such as composition, blending requirements, permissible impurity levels, testing methods and safety norms. Meanwhile, amid concerns over the impact that use of E25 (25% blending in petrol) may have on existing vehicles with regard to mileage and engine life, the petroleum ministry has tasked the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) to carry out a detailed study on vehicles that are currently compliant with E10 and E20. Most existing vehicles are fully compliant with E10, as fully E20- compliant vehicles will hit the market only after April 2025. The notified fuel norms for different grades of ethanol and the ARAI study for E25 may provide the govt with elbow room to push blending beyond 20%, though less than 25%, in the near future to utilise the surplus availability of ethanol, experts said. TOI has learnt that at a meeting of an inter-ministerial group last week, BIS said adding 1% extra ethanol to petrol beyond the current 20% won’t be an issue. “But considering that increasing blending to 25% will be a significant jump, ARAI will now conduct the study using vehicles that are E10 and E20 compliant,” said an official. All India Distillers’ Association (AIDA) has described the govt move as a “significant and timely step” towards advancing India’s ethanol blending programme and reducing dependence on crude oil imports. People aware of the developments said there is a need to assess engine life and performance (mileage) of vehicles not designed for higher ethanol blending, their emissions, and upfront and recurring costs. As per best practices, samples of vehicles should be run for 60,000-70,000 km for proper assessment.