New Delhi, July 4 (IANS) The ethanol blending in petrol has not been done overnight and the whole process is a measured, scientifically driven, step-by-step process, leading industry experts said here on Saturday, adding that after 2023, both the cars and the fuel are mandated for E20 petrol.

Rahul Bharti, Senior Executive Officer, Corporate Affairs, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, said that over the previous few days, “We’ve heard that there are some doubts, queries, or concerns about the usage of ethanol in cars.”

“India mandated E20 from 2023 for material compliance, and before that, it was E10. Obviously, after 2023, both the cars and the fuel are mandated for E20,” he said at a media briefing.

Vartika Shukla, former Chairman and Managing Director, Engineers India Ltd, said that in 2013 and 2014, the country was blending about one and a half per cent ethanol in gasoline.

“This programme was targeted to have 20 per cent blending, which is E20, which was completed in December 2025 — five years ahead of the target. This programme, the ethanol blending programme, was created in a structured manner, put out for discussion and deliberation by all stakeholders,” she said.

“It is supported by scientific evidence and extensive testing by the automotive manufacturers and the agencies that support them, namely the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and SIAM, and also it is in line with the global best practices which are followed to lower the carbon emissions,” said Shukla.

Vikram Gulati, Country Head and Executive Vice President (Corporate Affairs and Governance), Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said that the automotive industry is among a few industries that are very strongly regulated in terms of quality and performance.

“We have stringent norms for vehicles to meet emissions, safety, performance, etc. And on the fuel side, there are very clear specifications. It is not only the OEMs who are producing these vehicles, that we test them very elaborately, but also when you introduce a vehicle, these have to be tested, certified, homologated and then introduced,” he noted.

“In an era when we are facing the issue of climate change and are looking at rapidly decarbonising, this is a zero-carbon fuel because it’s derived from plants,” he mentioned.

–IANS

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