The Government might have missed its June 2013 deadline to implement five per cent mandatory ethanol blending with petrol across the country, yet it has set its eyes on introducing E-85 engines in Indian cars, which run on fuel with an 85 per cent ethanol blend. At present, it is compulsory to blend five per cent ethanol with petroleum but the Indian oil marketing companies have achieved only 1.37 per cent.
E-85 engines are being used in flexible fuel vehicles in the USA and several European countries, particularly in Sweden. Ethanol fuel mixtures have “E” numbers which describe the percentage of ethanol fuel in the mixture by volume, for example, E85 is 85 per cent of ethanol and 15 per cent of petrol. Although, internationally the most commonly used blend is E10 blend, which has 10 per cent ethanol and needs no modifications in the vehicle engines.
Minister for Roads, Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, who proposes to bring the technology to India, hopes to increase employment, besides reducing Government expense on importing petrol and diesel. “Ethanol is a by-product from sugar mills and also of degradable solid waste. This will definitely help generate employment. If we can manage to bring in this technology we will also bring down government expense on importing petrol and diesel by huge margins,” Gadkari told The Pioneer.
“The Government also has to change laws to permit these cars, which run on different kinds of fuel. We are hoping to make necessary changes in law and bring it at par with international standards to enable cars, especially those running on bio-fuels, to ply on Indian roads,” he said. Gadkari said that will require a lot of planning but the Government aims to introduce the changes by the next session of Parliament.
On Monday, addressing delegates at a seminar organised by BJP’s Non-Conventional Energy Cell at the party headquarters here Gadkari reiterated the importance of ethanol-blending. He also informed them: “The Government has already announced to make necessary changes in law for e-rickshaws that will give employment to over 2 lakh people.”
Gadkari said suggestions would be sought from delegates before taking a policy decision on the issue. “The Ministry of roads would also study automobile laws in the United States, Canada, Brazil and Germany before making any change,” he said. Giving a push to Gadkari’s proposal, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan who was also speaking at the seminar, said that the Cabinet will soon take a decision on mandatory blending of 10 per cent ethanol with petroleum.
“The Government has kept the interests of farmers in mind. It has started the process and the Cabinet will soon take a decision on 10 per cent mandatory ethanol blending (with petroleum),” said Pradhan. In November, 2012, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs had decided on the implementation of five per cent mandatory ethanol blending by mid 2013 but missed its deadline.