Government Issues Draft Notification For Higher Ethanol Blends In Petrol

The Indian government has issued a draft notification outlining proposing to formally include higher blends of ethanol in petrol. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), has proposed amendments to the Central Motor Vehicle Rules 1989 (CMVR) for the provision of E85 fuel blend (85 per cent ethanol in petrol) and E100 fuel, which is essentially 100 per cent ethanol.

The draft notification proposes a new classification for blended fuel. The proposal states the description for E10/E blend will change to E10/E20. It also mentions E85 and E100 as part of the new regulations. In the same way, biodiesel will be updated from B10 to B100 (for 100 per cent biodiesel). Moreover, the draft proposal standardises emission-testing parameters and technical terminology.

Furthermore, the draft notification proposes the gross vehicle weight threshold to increase from 3,000 kg to 3,500 kg in select vehicle categories. It also proposes revising the hydrogen fuel classification from “Hydrogen + CN” to “Hydrogen + CNG”.

The draft notification has been open for public comments for 30 days, after which the government will take a final decision. India currently is operating with E20 fuel (20 per cent ethanol blend in petrol), which has been in effect since April 2025, and the move aims to increase the ethanol blend aiming to reduce the dependence of crude oil imports to meet the country’s energy needs. While the government planned to increase the ethanol blend a few years later, the move to fast-track the same appears to stem out of the conflict between the US and Iran and the global shortage of oil supply.

The move may help with reducing oil imports but customers will feel the pinch when it comes to running cars on higher blends of ethanol. The new cars are compatible with E20 fuel, while customers of older vehicles are complaining of higher wear and tear, as well as lower fuel efficiency. Several manufacturers are offering E20 kits to replace components due to corrosion damage on older cars and two-wheelers. Select components will require a comprehensive upgrade to run on E85 fuel.