Our Bureau
Pune
This Saturday, on August 30th, several industry officials and the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) stated that the use of 20% Ethanol-blended petrol (E20) could end up resulting in a slight decline of 2-4% in fuel efficiency. However, the overall benefit that this switch to E20 will bring for the nation will far outweigh the marginal extra fuel cost for consumers.
The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the auto industry body of India, has stood strong on their stance on concerns over fuel-related warranty or insurance claims. They have stated that these concerns are ‘misplaced,’ with manufacturers who are committed to honour the warranties “without any ifs and buts.”
The Executive Director of the SIAM, P K Banerjee has stated that there are clear mileage related challenges if we start using 20% Ethanol-blended petrol. But he added that it will benefit the nation, society and environment on a very large-scale level.
“The mileage-related challenges, there is admittance, clearly, that due to the intrinsic nature of the fuel there is marginal drop, but it accrues the huge benefit to the nation, to the society, to the farmer, to the environment, to the exchequer and all of us,” Banerjee said.
Banerjee also denied many consumer claims that the fuel efficiency had fallen by 20-50% and called it a ‘misplaced misinformation campaign’. He noted that E20 has around 6% less energy due to the calorific value of ethanol being 30-35% lower than the calorific value of petrol. The SIAM Executive Director has also highlighted that millions of vehicles globally have been running on E20 for some time now and none of them have ever reported a vehicle breakdown.
