100 E85 Fuel Stations by Year-End in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai in Push for Flex-Fuel Vehicles

The Centre is aiming to establish up to 100 E85 fuel dispensing stations in major cities like Delhi-NCR and Mumbai as it identified E85 as the mono-fuel standard for flex-fuel vehicles (FFV) under Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) specifications, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Thursday on the sidelines of the launch of the country's first flex-fuel car by Maruti Suzuki in New Delhi.

The government is also intending to add about 5,000 such outlets across major cities in the country by the end of 2027.

Also read: Maruti Suzuki Unveils India’s First Flex-Fuel Car

"...Since E85 has been identified as the mono-fuel standard for flex-fuel vehicles under BIS specifications, alongside a paced national roll-out of FFBs across the vehicle segment, I think success is ensured. In the beginning, we will have over 50 to 100 dispensing station outlets in Delhi, NCR and Mumbai," Puri told reporters here.

The minister added that the E85 fuel dispensing stations will be expanded to 500 by the end of this year.

Meanwhile, the Centre is also working on supportive measures such as road tax concessions, availability of E85 testing fuel, pricing support, special identifiers for FFVs and retail outlets, consumer awareness initiatives and development of storage and dispensing infrastructure to promote adoption of such vehicles. 

According to the minister, this is not "merely a transition in fuel", but it is the creation of a complete ecosystem for cleaner mobility, stronger energy security, and greater self-reliance.

This comes at a time when flex-fuel vehicles, capable of running on varying ethanol-petrol blends, are being seen as an interim solution in India’s transition towards lower-emission mobility.

Ethanol delivers lower energy output per litre than petrol, which typically results in reduced fuel efficiency. Therefore, the cost advantage for consumers will depend largely on the relative pricing of ethanol at fuel stations.