Union Minister Nitin Gadkari (file photo)
Nowadays, there is a strong discussion on social media that the new E20 fuel (20 percent ethanol and 80 percent petrol) available at petrol pumps can damage the engine of the car and the mileage is also falling. Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has given direct answers to all these questions arising in the minds of the common man. Gadkari has made it clear that the talk about engine failure is completely misleading. However, he admitted that it may have a minor impact on mileage.
How much will be the impact on mileage?
It is a scientific fact that the calorific value (ability to produce energy) of ethanol is slightly less than that of normal petrol. For this reason, when E20 fuel is poured into the vehicle, there may be a slight drop in mileage. According to the Transport Minister, this decline is not so big that you need to panic. Actually, mileage largely depends on where you are driving. In heavy traffic of big cities like Delhi or Gurugram, frequent braking and driving in lower gear reduces the mileage anyway. Only if you drive continuously on the highway at a speed of 100 kilometers per hour without stopping, you can feel a slight difference in the mileage.
What is the truth about engine failure?
Many rumors are being spread on social media about vehicles’ engines seizing or parts getting damaged due to E20 fuel. Gadkari has completely rejected all these claims and called it a ‘false narrative’. Before implementing E20 fuel across the country, Pune-based testing lab ARAI and all the vehicle manufacturing companies have rigorously tested it. In the case of old cars, a small change has definitely been made. Earlier, metal washers were used in the engines of vehicles, which are now being replaced with rubber washers. The government has given strict instructions to the vehicle companies to replace these washers during servicing without charging any extra money from the customers. Investigation has revealed that the real reason for the engine problems of the vehicles is not E20 fuel but adulteration in petrol.
Flex fuel technology will bring big changes
The government has also found a sure solution to this minor concern of mileage. That is flex-fuel engine technology. ARAI report shows that vehicles whose engines are specially designed for flex-fuel do not face any problem in mileage or performance. Big companies like Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Mahindra and Toyota are going to launch their new flex models in the market soon. You will be surprised to know that 27 percent ethanol-petrol blend is being used successfully in Brazil since 1970. Ethanol is better than petrol in terms of performance. Apart from this, the price of ethanol is around Rs 75 per liter, which can provide a big relief from expensive petrol in the future.
Indigenous alternative to diesel has also arrived
Not only petrol, work is also going on at a rapid pace on cheap and pollution-free alternatives to diesel for heavy vehicles. In Karnataka, Ashok Leyland has successfully run buses on a mixture of 15 percent methanol and diesel. Now special methanol engines are being made for trucks and buses. In North-East India, methanol is being produced at the rate of Rs 20 to 22 per liter, which will give huge savings compared to diesel which costs Rs 110. ‘Iso-butanol’ has been prepared as an excellent alternative for everything from ships to agricultural equipment and tractors. India imports fossil fuels worth about Rs 2 lakh crore every year. With the introduction of these indigenous fuels, not only will this huge expenditure be saved, but the country will also get freedom from pollution.
