India’s transition to E20 petrol has sparked a fresh debate over whether owners of older vehicles should continue to have access to E10 fuel.
Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran has suggested bringing back E10 petrol as an option for older vehicles, arguing that millions of two-wheelers on Indian roads were designed to run on lower ethanol blends.
In an opinion article co-authored with Akash Poojari, Nageswaran proposed allowing older vehicles to use E10 while newer vehicles continue with E20. The suggestion is aimed at addressing concerns over compatibility, fuel efficiency and the impact of higher ethanol blends on ageing vehicle components.
Why E10 could matter for older vehicles
According to Nageswaran, India has around 75-80 million two-wheelers designed for E10 petrol. Many of these vehicles were not built with higher ethanol concentrations in mind.
The CEA said the issue goes beyond mileage. Ethanol can affect components such as rubber seals and other parts of a vehicle’s fuel system. Older carburettor-based vehicles may also face difficulties when operating on higher ethanol blends.
Nageswaran argued that making E10 available alongside E20 could provide a transition period for owners of older vehicles while the fleet is gradually replaced or retrofitted.
He has also disputed claims that E20 causes a 30% reduction in fuel efficiency, saying the energy penalty from ethanol blending is significantly lower.
India’s E20 transition continues
India’s ethanol-blending programme is designed to reduce dependence on imported crude oil and expand the domestic biofuel market.
The government has increasingly promoted ethanol produced from feedstocks such as sugarcane and maize as part of its energy-security strategy.
However, the transition has raised concerns among owners of older vehicles, particularly over fuel economy and the long-term compatibility of engines and fuel-system components.
Nageswaran’s proposal does not call for abandoning E20. Instead, it suggests maintaining E10 as an alternative for vehicles that were originally designed to operate on the lower blend.
Food versus fuel debate
The CEA has also highlighted the broader food-versus-fuel question surrounding India’s ethanol programme.
Greater demand for ethanol feedstocks can have implications for agricultural land, water use and food availability. As ethanol production expands, policymakers must balance energy-security objectives with these competing demands.
With millions of older vehicles still operating in India, replacing or retrofitting the entire fleet could take considerable time.
Ethanol industry opposes rollback
The proposal has, however, faced opposition from the ethanol industry.
Kushal Mittal, vice-president of the All India Distillers’ Association, argued that India should not reverse its ethanol policy based on public sentiment or perception.
He said scientific evidence, testing and objective data should guide decisions on ethanol blending.
Mittal maintained that India’s move towards E20 followed years of evaluation, including pilot trials and consultations with automobile manufacturers.
He described E20 as strategically important for India’s energy and national security, arguing that higher ethanol blending can reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels while creating demand for domestic agricultural feedstocks.
The disagreement highlights a larger policy question: should India maintain a uniform E20 transition, or provide E10 as an alternative for older vehicles?
For now, the debate centres on finding a balance between India’s long-term clean-fuel and energy-security goals and the practical concerns of millions of motorists still using older vehicles.
