The automobile industry and the government have admitted that ethanol-blended petrol (E20) can cause a decrease in mileage in the range 2%-6% and comes even as consumers pay higher price for fuel but their vehicle runs less.
An automobile engineer based in Delhi, Surender Pal Singh, told TOI his less than three-year-old car's mileage had gone down significantly in the last few months.
“The average mileage of my car was around 17-17.5 km on Delhi roads when I bought it. The mileage slipped to 16.5 km last year and I thought it may be because of my driving habits and traffic conditions. But 4-5 months back I saw the mileage touching 14.5 km,” Singh, who was the principal of a major vehicle driving institute, told TOI.
He further said that recently, he switched to “premium fuel”, which is about Rs 7 costlier, and the fuel mileage has improved, adding that he himself drives his car.
Many car users have raised such concerns and observations on social media, questioning why they should keep paying the price for a fuel that gives them less mileage.
Government think tank Niti Aayog in its 2021 report on ‘Roadmap For Ethanol Blending in India 2020-25’ had recommended that “for better acceptability of higher ethanol blends in the country, retail price of such fuels should be lower than normal petrol to compensate for the reduction in calorific value and incentivise switching to the blended fuel. Tax breaks on ethanol as a fuel may be considered by the govt”.
The report had said that while using E20 fuel, there would be a drop in fuel efficiency by nearly 6%-7% for four-wheelers and 3%-4% for two-wheelers designed for E0 (100% petrol) and calibrated for E10, and 1%-2% for four-wheelers designed for E10 and calibrated for E20.
“However, with the modifications in engines (hardware and tuning), loss in efficiency due to blended fuel can be reduced,” the report mentioned.
Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), citing two studies of 2016 and 2021, said that in testing it found E20 not to have any adverse impact on vehicles.
An automobile engineer based in Delhi, Surender Pal Singh, told TOI his less than three-year-old car's mileage had gone down significantly in the last few months.
“The average mileage of my car was around 17-17.5 km on Delhi roads when I bought it. The mileage slipped to 16.5 km last year and I thought it may be because of my driving habits and traffic conditions. But 4-5 months back I saw the mileage touching 14.5 km,” Singh, who was the principal of a major vehicle driving institute, told TOI.
He further said that recently, he switched to “premium fuel”, which is about Rs 7 costlier, and the fuel mileage has improved, adding that he himself drives his car.
Many car users have raised such concerns and observations on social media, questioning why they should keep paying the price for a fuel that gives them less mileage.
Government think tank Niti Aayog in its 2021 report on ‘Roadmap For Ethanol Blending in India 2020-25’ had recommended that “for better acceptability of higher ethanol blends in the country, retail price of such fuels should be lower than normal petrol to compensate for the reduction in calorific value and incentivise switching to the blended fuel. Tax breaks on ethanol as a fuel may be considered by the govt”.
The report had said that while using E20 fuel, there would be a drop in fuel efficiency by nearly 6%-7% for four-wheelers and 3%-4% for two-wheelers designed for E0 (100% petrol) and calibrated for E10, and 1%-2% for four-wheelers designed for E10 and calibrated for E20.
“However, with the modifications in engines (hardware and tuning), loss in efficiency due to blended fuel can be reduced,” the report mentioned.
Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), citing two studies of 2016 and 2021, said that in testing it found E20 not to have any adverse impact on vehicles.
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