Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri fills E85 fuel in a car during the during the launch of E85 fuel (a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% petrol) at an Indian Oil fuel station. File
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Amid raging concerns about petrol blended with ethanol corroding engine parts and resulting in considerable drop in mileage, the Petroleum Ministry in a detailed note, issued Thursday (July 2, 2026), refuted the assertions and emphasised that the process is backed by field trials. The overall programme adheres to best practices as observed from other countries, it added.
Notwithstanding the clarifications, social media continues to put forth concerns about the blended fuel.
Social media posts on the one-fifth ethanol blended petrol continue to state that it corrodes engines, drops mileage and until recently, sugarcane feedstock being directly mixed with petrol.
‘Ethanol blending backed by trials’
In the note issued on Thursday (July 2, 2026), the government held that the Automotive Research Institute of India (ARAI) along with the Indian Institute of Petroleum (Dehradun), the Society of Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), and Indian Oil had undertaken studies to assess material compatibility and emission performance measurement with ethanol blending of 20% in 2014.
Petrol containing 20% ethanol blend was formally launched in February 2023. Ethanol blending of 19.99% was achieved in December 2025.
Referring to the trials, the Ministry said “no issues were reported in most parameters including drivability, startability, metal compatibility and plastic compatibility”.
It added that “only a marginal decline” was observed in cars running on ten-percent blended petrol compared to neat petrol.
“The extensive field trials included 40,000 kilometres for cars and 20,000 kilometres for two-wheelers, which did not show any significant negative effect,” the note read.
The Ministry reiterated ethanol’s “exceptionally high-octane number” made it a preferable fuel for high-performance internal combustion engines.
“Ethanol and ethanol-based fuels have historically been used in several sports cars because of their superior anti-knock characteristics, higher power potential and cooling effect arising from their high latent heat of vaporisation,” the note read.
The Ministry, referring to similar 10% blending in Japan, Canada and U.S. alongside 27% blending in Brazil, stated India’s blending programme was “consistent with international best practices rather than an experimental departure from them.”
It added the blending programme had helped substitute 310 lakh metric tonnes of crude oil, expedited payment of more than ₹1.6 lakh crore to farmers and helped save more than ₹1.9 lakh crore in foreign exchange.
Kejriwal to write to PM Modi
Further, Arvind Kerjiwal, chief of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), informed in a social media post that he would be writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue.
Mr. Kejriwal accused the government of turning the country into an “experiment lab”. He also claimed that the government is forcibly imposing the blended fuel on people.
“Due to the ethanol-blended petrol, vehicles are breaking down, parts are getting damaged and mileage is dropping. People are very angry,” he wrote on social media, adding, “I am writing a letter to the Prime Minister. Public can either direct message or comment on what I must mention in my letter.”
Further, political commentator Tehseen Poonawalla on Thursday (July 2, 2026) called for a protest seeking to stop the government’s ethanol blending policy. In a social media post, he sought the government must “end this nonsensical mandatory ethanol twenty [percent] blending policy and give us, we the people, a choice of what fuel to choose.”
Published – July 04, 2026 01:09 am IST
