The E20 question

‘Il be honest, like many of you, this outcry over the E20 fuel rollout has crept up on me unexpectedly. That probably sums up the gist of this issue. This policy of raising the ethanol content in fuel to 20 per cent was meant to be rolled out fully by 2030, but this change seems to have been fast tracked significantly. The effect has been that many users have now been left somewhat in the lurch, with their cars not being compatible with this. For those of you who have bought cars built after April 2023, this may not be of much concern, but as it stands, the mandated life cycle of a petrol car in India is 15 years.

- Tuhin Guha

Yes, it is known that cars not engineered for E20 fuel will lose efficiency by up to 6 percent, and anecdotal evidence suggests this could be much greater. In non-compliant cars, it can also lead to corrosion in the fuel systems and degradation of fuel seals and gaskets. This happens because ethanol, while having similar properties as fuel, also absorbs water. So it stores energy like fuel, about 30 percent less, is a hydrocarbon, is flammable and is denser than water. In fact, it has a much higher octane of 108, against the 91 octane rating of regular BSVI fuel in India, which should make all the enthusiasts among you quite happy. These are genuine concerns, but as with everything on social media, this problem