The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea challenging the nationwide rollout of 20% Ethanol Blended Petrol ( EBP-20) which alleged that millions of motorists have been forced to use fuel not designed for their vehicles.
The public interest litigation (PIL) was heard by a bench headed by Chief Justice of India B R Gavai.
The plea related to EBP-20 was filed by Akshay Malhotra, seeking SC's direction to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas to ensure the availability of ethanol-free petrol at all fuel stations across India.
"E20 is a logical progression, but cars need to be made compatible along with engine calibration. Non-availability of E10 petrol for existing customers is what we are challenging. We want options. We do not want E20 to go out," Senior Counsel Shadan Farasat argued on behalf of the petitioner, adding that "there was no notification to the consumers."
Opposing the PIL, the Attorney General, who represented Centre, said that someone from outside 'could not dictate what petrol to use'.
He defended the government's decision, saying that sugarcane farmers are benefitting from the move.
Malhotra's plea also sought a direction to the authorities to mandatorily label ethanol content on all petrol pumps and dispensing units. This move would make the new fuel's presence clearly visible to the consumers. The consumers must be clearly informed about ethanol's compatibility of their vehicles at the time of fuel dispensing.
The mentioned plea said that the authorities be directed to conduct a "nationwide impact study on mechanical degradation and efficiency loss due to ethanol blended fuel to the extent of 20 percent usage in non-compliant vehicles".
A 2021 NITI Aayog report titled 'Roadmap for Ethanol Blending in India: 2020-2025' revealed that ethanol-blended petrol (E20) can cause a decrease in mileage up to 6% on average basis, as it differs as per vehicle types.
"...The vehicles which are designed for low or nil content of ethanol in gasoline will result in lower fuel economy if used with higher ethanol blends," the report stated.
The plea claimed that millions of Indian motorists were being left helpless at the pumps and were forced to buy fuel that many of their vehicles cannot handle.
According to the plea, cars and two-wheelers manufactured before 2023, and even some newer BS-VI models, are not compatible with such high ethanol blends. It alleged that the new fuel may cause damage to engines and a drop of mileage, among other consequences.
"Direct the respondents to ensure that consumers are informed about ethanol compatibility of their vehicles at the time of fuel dispensing," the plea said.
Malhotra, in his plea, claimed that vehicles' engines are suffering corrosion, fuel efficiency is dropping, and repair bills are mounting, while insurance companies are rejecting claims for damage caused by ethanol fuel.
The PIL also outlined foreign countries' norms in similar stream of actions, highlighting that in the US and EU, ethanol-free petrol was still widely available, and pumps clearly displayed ethanol content for consumers to make an informed choice. However, in India, only ethanol-blended fuel is sold, with no disclosure of composition at dispensing units, it added.
Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) reported that roll-out of fuel blended with 20% ethanol will hurt a vehicle's mileage by 2%-4% but is safe to use.
Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's target of achieving 20% ethanol blending in fuel by 2025, the new fuel has become the only choice at nearly all fuel stations, causing distress among drivers over its impact on vehicle performance and durability, especially older vehicles which are not designed to be compatible with E20.
Executive director of SIAM, P.K. Banerjee told Reuters that using E20 fuel in older vehicles lowers mileage but is not a safety risk
"Millions of vehicles are plying on E20 for quite some time now. Not a single vehicle breakdown or engine failure has been reported," said Banerjee, adding that if issues arise, warranty and insurance claims will be fully honoured by companies.
Citing scientific studies, Banerjee said that the fuel may cause a 2%-4% decrease, putting a number to the reduction for the first time. However, driving in real-world conditions can contribute to higher drops in mileage due to a variety of factors.
India's biggest carmaker Maruti Suzuki stated that the mileage difference could be very different on road depending on the way in which the vehicles are maintained and driven.
"On road it could be very different because of the way in which the vehicles are maintained and driven so that difference will be there," C.V. Raman, executive committee member at Maruti Suzuki told Reuters.
Since government's announcement of E20 blended fuel, worried motorists have expressed their concerns on social media over large drops in fuel efficiency and confusing statements from carmakers.
The automobile giants initially said that E20 fuel had not been tested for compatibility with older vehicles, but backtracked later, saying it is safe to use.
In its report, NITI Aayog stated that a successful E20 program can save the country US $4 billion per annum, i.e. Rs. 30,000 cr.
The report clearly stated three challenges to vehicle manufacturers in the rollout of the E20 program: handhold vendors to develop ethanol-compatible parts, optimization of the engine for higher ethanol blends, and conducting durability studies on engines and field trials before introducing E20-compliant vehicles.
The public interest litigation (PIL) was heard by a bench headed by Chief Justice of India B R Gavai.
The plea related to EBP-20 was filed by Akshay Malhotra, seeking SC's direction to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas to ensure the availability of ethanol-free petrol at all fuel stations across India.
"E20 is a logical progression, but cars need to be made compatible along with engine calibration. Non-availability of E10 petrol for existing customers is what we are challenging. We want options. We do not want E20 to go out," Senior Counsel Shadan Farasat argued on behalf of the petitioner, adding that "there was no notification to the consumers."
Opposing the PIL, the Attorney General, who represented Centre, said that someone from outside 'could not dictate what petrol to use'.
He defended the government's decision, saying that sugarcane farmers are benefitting from the move.
Malhotra's plea also sought a direction to the authorities to mandatorily label ethanol content on all petrol pumps and dispensing units. This move would make the new fuel's presence clearly visible to the consumers. The consumers must be clearly informed about ethanol's compatibility of their vehicles at the time of fuel dispensing.
The mentioned plea said that the authorities be directed to conduct a "nationwide impact study on mechanical degradation and efficiency loss due to ethanol blended fuel to the extent of 20 percent usage in non-compliant vehicles".
A 2021 NITI Aayog report titled 'Roadmap for Ethanol Blending in India: 2020-2025' revealed that ethanol-blended petrol (E20) can cause a decrease in mileage up to 6% on average basis, as it differs as per vehicle types.
"...The vehicles which are designed for low or nil content of ethanol in gasoline will result in lower fuel economy if used with higher ethanol blends," the report stated.
The plea claimed that millions of Indian motorists were being left helpless at the pumps and were forced to buy fuel that many of their vehicles cannot handle.
According to the plea, cars and two-wheelers manufactured before 2023, and even some newer BS-VI models, are not compatible with such high ethanol blends. It alleged that the new fuel may cause damage to engines and a drop of mileage, among other consequences.
"Direct the respondents to ensure that consumers are informed about ethanol compatibility of their vehicles at the time of fuel dispensing," the plea said.
Malhotra, in his plea, claimed that vehicles' engines are suffering corrosion, fuel efficiency is dropping, and repair bills are mounting, while insurance companies are rejecting claims for damage caused by ethanol fuel.
The PIL also outlined foreign countries' norms in similar stream of actions, highlighting that in the US and EU, ethanol-free petrol was still widely available, and pumps clearly displayed ethanol content for consumers to make an informed choice. However, in India, only ethanol-blended fuel is sold, with no disclosure of composition at dispensing units, it added.
Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) reported that roll-out of fuel blended with 20% ethanol will hurt a vehicle's mileage by 2%-4% but is safe to use.
Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's target of achieving 20% ethanol blending in fuel by 2025, the new fuel has become the only choice at nearly all fuel stations, causing distress among drivers over its impact on vehicle performance and durability, especially older vehicles which are not designed to be compatible with E20.
Executive director of SIAM, P.K. Banerjee told Reuters that using E20 fuel in older vehicles lowers mileage but is not a safety risk
"Millions of vehicles are plying on E20 for quite some time now. Not a single vehicle breakdown or engine failure has been reported," said Banerjee, adding that if issues arise, warranty and insurance claims will be fully honoured by companies.
Citing scientific studies, Banerjee said that the fuel may cause a 2%-4% decrease, putting a number to the reduction for the first time. However, driving in real-world conditions can contribute to higher drops in mileage due to a variety of factors.
India's biggest carmaker Maruti Suzuki stated that the mileage difference could be very different on road depending on the way in which the vehicles are maintained and driven.
"On road it could be very different because of the way in which the vehicles are maintained and driven so that difference will be there," C.V. Raman, executive committee member at Maruti Suzuki told Reuters.
Since government's announcement of E20 blended fuel, worried motorists have expressed their concerns on social media over large drops in fuel efficiency and confusing statements from carmakers.
The automobile giants initially said that E20 fuel had not been tested for compatibility with older vehicles, but backtracked later, saying it is safe to use.
In its report, NITI Aayog stated that a successful E20 program can save the country US $4 billion per annum, i.e. Rs. 30,000 cr.
The report clearly stated three challenges to vehicle manufacturers in the rollout of the E20 program: handhold vendors to develop ethanol-compatible parts, optimization of the engine for higher ethanol blends, and conducting durability studies on engines and field trials before introducing E20-compliant vehicles.
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