Cars In India To Be Ethanol Material-compliant Starting April 2023: SIAM

That said, vehicles have to be fully compliant with flex fuel (E20) by 2025

Published On Dec 13, 2022 17:29 IST

Published OnDec 13, 2022 17:28 IST

Last Updated OnDec 13, 2022 17:29 IST

10.9K Views

Write a comment

Maruti Suzuki, in partnership with SIAM and the Government of India, recently showcased a prototype flex-fuel Wagon R that can run on any concentration of ethanol-blended petrol, from 20 percent ethanol (E20) to 85 percent ethanol (E85). Now, the Indian government has finalised its plans for mandating all cars to be ethanol material-compliant from 2023, while all vehicles will have to be E20 compliant from 2025 onwards.

Previously Announced Deadlines On Flex-fuel Vehicles

Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, has already stated earlier that petrol engines need to be compliant with 20 percent ethanol by 2025, five years sooner than the previous deadline of 2030.

Also Read: Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg (Mumbai-Nagpur) Expressway Now Open For Public - 7 Facts You Need To Know

What Is Ethanol And How Is It Made?

Nitin Gadkari Urges Carmakers To Adopt Flex Fuel Engines Within A Year Pictured: Ethanol refinery

Ethanol, a by-product in the production of sugar, can be an excellent substitute for petrol as a fuel mix. It will also be more affordable, considering it can be produced domestically from crops (and need not be imported, unlike crude oil). And a certain percentage of ethanol will be mixed with petrol; and in this case of E20, it is 20 percent ethanol and 80 percent petrol.

Carmakers Who Are Moving Towards Ethanol-blended Fuel

Maruti had already announced that its entire lineup will be E20 compliant by April 2023. The carmaker recently showcased its first prototype flex-fuel vehicle using the Wagon R as a testing bed.

Nitin Gadkari in Toyota Corolla Altis Hybrid

Not so long ago, Toyota too had revealed a flex-fuel-powered Corolla Altis Hybrid, which has been introduced as part of a pilot project in cooperation with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

Upgrades On Vehicles

The implementation of flex-fuel engines will involve some degree of vehicle modification and tuning. So you can expect the sticker price of cars to see a rise. However, in the long run, the reduced dependence on imported crude oil is expected to yield economic benefits, down to the final users.

Also Read: EVs vs Strong-hybrids: Which Way Should You Go?

Was this article helpful ?

2 out of 2 found this helpful

Rohit

Rohit Shah is a Content Writer with the CarDekho Group and an automotive journalist with nearly seven years of experience covering the automotive industry. He holds a Bachelor\'s degree in Business Management (International Business) and a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management. Over the course of his career, Rohit has authored more than 2,500 articles for CarDekho, covering topics ranging from new car launches to the latest developments in the Indian and global automotive industries. His interest in cars began in childhood when he started collecting scale models, and he unwinds by taking a car out for a spin. When he\'s not talking or writing about cars, you can find him watching new movies and series or learning new languages.Read more

Trending Cars