00:00The centre has now formally recognised E-100 fuel under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules,
00:06paving the way for vehicles specialised designed to run on high ethanol blends
00:12to be certified in India, the highest possible, that is, ethanol 100.
00:17The Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways has notified the changes on 26th October,
00:22updating the rules governing the vehicle's emission certification and also testing.
00:27So what exactly has changed?
00:28Well, the government has amended Rule 115 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989
00:34to recognise E-100 alongside E-85
00:38and also update the technical requirements for E-100 compatible vehicles.
00:43In simple terms, it means that manufacturers now have a clearer regulatory framework
00:49to certify vehicles that can run on fuel with very high concentration of ethanol.
00:55But remember, this does not mean that your regular petrol car or any ICE vehicle
01:00can suddenly run on E-100 as well.
01:03That's where you and I need to be very, very careful
01:04because you all know what even E-20 has done to the cars on the roads.
01:10But let's deep dive a little bit and talk about what exactly is E-100.
01:14Now, E-100 is a fuel made predominantly from ethanol, an alcohol-based fuel that can be produced
01:21from agricultural sources such as sugarcane and even grains.
01:24The simplest way to understand these fuels' grades is to look at the number after the letter E,
01:31that means all the way from E-20 to E-85 to E-100.
01:34It indicates the proportion of ethanol in the fuel.
01:37E-20, which is now the standard petrol blend in India across, unless you ask for XP-100,
01:43that contains 20% of ethanol.
01:45E-85 contains 85% of ethanol, while E-100 is predominantly ethanol.
01:52As of now, Maruti Suzuki Wagener Flex Fuel is the only passenger car model
01:58which has been unveiled in India with E-100 compatibility.
02:03And India's journey towards ethanol blending has been a long one,
02:06remember, spanning more than two decades now.
02:09It began in 2001 with pilot projects to supply petrol blended with 5% ethanol.
02:15That's how it had started in 2001.
02:17Then in January of 2003, ethanol blended petrol program was introduced in select states
02:22and union territories, the program was formally announced in 2004.
02:27And by November 2006, E-5 petrol has been extended to more states as well.
02:32But the expansion was slow in early years.
02:35Ethanol blending remained very low, averaging between 0.1% to 0.5% until 2013-14.
02:42Limited supplies, difficulty in securing enough ethanol was amongst one of the key challenges.
02:47But then, in January of 2013, the government introduced a policy framework
02:51targeting 5% ethanol blending across 10 states and union territories.
02:55A major policy shift came in in the December of 2014
03:00when the government reintroduced and administered pricing mechanism for ethanol
03:05procured under the program and took steps to encourage greater production.
03:09Then, in May of 2018, the national policy on biofuels widened the range of raw materials
03:16that could be used to produce ethanol, introducing sources beyond the traditional sugarcane-based production.
03:22And then, in June of 2021, Neeti Aayog released its roadmap for ethanol blending.
03:28The government then brought forward its target of achieving 20% blending from 2030 to 2526.
03:36And the number shows just how quickly the program has expanded in recent years.
03:41Ethanol blending stood at around 8.1% in 2020 and 2021 supply year.
03:47And it rose to 10% in 2021-22, 12.1% in 2022-23 and 14.6% in
03:542023-24.
03:55When we talk about 24-25 years, it's 19.2 already.
04:00Now, remember, the government has reported that India achieved the 20% blending levels in 2526.
04:05But India is not the first country to use ethanol as a transport fuel.
04:11Several countries have been using it for years.
04:13Take United States, for example.
04:15E10 may contain 10% ethanol.
04:17It's the most common petrol blend over there.
04:20Motorists can choose E15, E85 with E85 meant for vehicles,
04:25you know, specifically designed to run on that high ethanol fuel.
04:28And then there is Brazil, the example the government keeps citing,
04:31which has a much longer history of ethanol use.
04:34Ethanol there has become a major part of its transport fuel mix.
04:38And E100 is also available for compatible vehicles.
04:41Compatible vehicles being the operative term over there.
04:45Also in Thailand, Thailand began marketing E10 in 2003
04:49and later introduced E20 and E85,
04:52giving motorists more options when it comes to ethanol blended fuels.
04:56And then there is France, where E10 has become country's most popular petrol.
05:01By the end of 2025, it accounted for nearly 61% of petrol market.
05:05But at the end of this entire story, what's the key thing for you to remember?
05:10There is nothing wrong in blending the fuel,
05:13as long as you know that it's compatible with your car.
05:17And not just your car, what about motorbikes?
05:20That has been the major backlash against the government,
05:23and specifically Nitin Ghatkarri, when it comes to ethanol blending,
05:26with motorists saying that A, they did not have any choice of the fuel that they could choose,
05:30and B, most of the cars are not really compatible.
05:33The government, remember, has pushed back,
05:35saying that no such damage is being seen in cars,
05:38but people have repeatedly raised concerns of mileage,
05:41of damage to the engine,
05:43and other issues that have been reported in cars and also in bikes.
