‘No abnormal wear & tear’: Centre reiterates E20 safe for vehicles
NEW DELHI: The central government on Thursday defended the E20 blending programme in Lok Sabha, saying that there was no evidence that E20 caused any “abnormal” wear and tear to the vehicles. “These studies also established that legacy vehicles do not exhibit any significant variation in performance or abnormal wear and tear due to E20,” said minister of state for petroleum and natural gas Suresh Gopi in a written reply according to news agency PTI.The minister said the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme was rolled out in phases following scientific validation and consultations with NITI Aayog, automobile manufacturers, the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), oil marketing companies (OMCs) and other technical bodies.He added that extensive laboratory testing and field trials by ARAI, SIAM, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), the Indian Institute of Petroleum and automobile manufacturers had established that E20 fuel is safe for use when it meets the prescribed standards.The government said petrol prices are determined by market factors, including global crude oil prices, exchange rates, freight charges, taxes, ethanol procurement costs and other operational expenses. It added that public sector oil marketing companies (OMCs) recorded an average under-recovery of around Rs 11 per litre on petrol between March and June 2026, with total losses estimated at nearly Rs 21,300 crore as retail fuel prices remained below market-linked levels. “During the recent West Asian crisis, despite sharp increases in global crude prices, India was able to shield consumers through calibrated Government interventions, diversified sourcing and the increasing contribution of domestically produced biofuels,” he said.The minister said ethanol blending was strategically significant for India given its heavy reliance on crude oil imports, especially amid the ongoing crisis in West Asia.
