Cars running on 85% ethanol will come soon
The ongoing geopolitical tension around the world and the constantly changing prices of crude oil have a direct impact on our pockets. Whenever you go to fill petrol in your car or bike, the fast moving needle of the meter increases the budget worries. Now the government is going to take a far-reaching step to eliminate this growing uncertainty and reduce the country’s heavy dependence on expensive foreign oil. According to the report of Economics Times, now major preparations are being made in India to rapidly launch modern vehicles running on ‘Flex-Fuel’ on the roads. These will be those vehicles which will be able to run on E-85 fuel, which will contain 85 percent ethanol and only 15 percent petrol.
Direct impact of global tension in petrol game
In recent months, there has been huge volatility in the international oil market. Due to the ongoing tension and military conflict in West Asia, crude oil prices had crossed the dangerous level of $ 100 per barrel. Although later due to a ceasefire agreement, the prices have softened a bit, but the fear of sudden stoppage of the supply chain still remains in the entire market. Recent incidents on the Strait of Hormuz have further deepened this energy concern. According to the Shipping Ministry, two ships passing by were forced to return to the Persian Gulf for their safety after a firing incident. In our country, the maximum consumption of petrol is in the transport sector, hence any dispute happening outside has a direct impact on the country’s economy, our transportation cost and daily inflation.
What is the new formula of E-85?
The government had implemented the rule of 20 percent ethanol blending (E20) across the country in the year 2025. However, during that change, many vehicle owners had filed complaints regarding the decreasing mileage of their vehicles and the decline in engine performance. Now, taking lessons from these past shortcomings and taking a big step forward, policy makers are shifting their focus directly to E-85 fuel. For this, there will be a strong need for specially designed ‘flex-fuel vehicles’ (FFVs). The engines of these special vehicles are specially calibrated to deliver excellent performance and great mileage without any technical glitches even on high ethanol fuel.
When will these vehicles be seen on the roads?
To get this ambitious project off the ground as soon as possible, a very important high level meeting was held within the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas on Monday. Experts say that a special working group formed for this has presented its detailed roadmap and presentation today. This key group includes experts from government oil marketing companies (OMCs), automobile manufacturers and top representatives from various relevant government departments. Their detailed recommendations will be placed for discussion today before top officials of government oil companies, senior members of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) and policy makers of key ministries.
The main objective of policy makers is not only to find a cheaper alternative to petrol, but also to completely protect the fast growing Indian economy from sudden shocks in the global oil market. Due to this fuel diversification, the fuel that we will fill in the tanks of our vehicles in future will not be made from expensive imported crude oil, but from indigenous ethanol produced in our country.
Also read- Effect of Iran-America conflict, instability in crude oil prices again
