Royal Enfield To Do A Maruti: Developing Retro-Fit Kit To Make Older Motorcycle E20-Ready
Just a few weeks ago, India's largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, announced that they will be launching new E20 kits to make older vehicles compatible with new 20 percent ethanol-blended fuel. Now, it has been announced that, following the footsteps, the Chennai-based bikemaker Royal Enfield has also announced that they are developing E20 retrofit kits to make older bikes compatible.
Retrofit kits for older vehicles to make them compatible with E20
Royal Enfield, Maruti Suzuki, and most likely other automakers (in the near future) are developing new retrofit kits for E20 fuel compatibility for older bikes and cars. This is being done to mitigate the issues caused by the E20 fuel. For those who may not be aware, ethanol is corrosive in nature and can damage fuel lines, rubber seals, gaskets, and metal parts in older vehicles.
Especially when it comes to older bikes, which are carburettor-based, they cannot adjust fueling like modern fuel-injected systems. This leads to major issues of engine misfiring and also causes mileage to be reduced significantly. Now, with the E20 retrofit kits from Royal Enfield, older bikes will be able to run on E20 fuel without significant damages.
As stated, apart from Royal Enfield, Maruti Suzuki also recently announced that it is developing a retrofit kit as well. It is believed that this kit will cost around Rs 4,000 to Rs 6,000 and will include ethanol-compatible fuel lines, seals, and gaskets. Also, Hero MotoCorp, Honda, Bajaj, and TVS have already started manufacturing two-wheelers that are compatible with E20 fuel.
No clear timeline for ethanol blending
A majority of people might not be aware; however, the original plan for the E20 rollout was aimed to finish by 2030. But the government of India reached the target of 20 percent ethanol blending by 2025. This aggressive push towards E20 has left older vehicle owners with no option except to accept the fuel that is damaging their vehicles.
The Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, has now revealed plans to reach 27 percent ethanol blending. At the moment, what is of huge concern for vehicle owners and others is that the minister has provided no clarity on the timeline for this. The only statement on the timeline stated that the draft plan for E27 will be finalized by the end of August. However, nothing has been made official at the moment.
Gadkari says paid media is behind the criticism of E20
Nitin Gadkari, over the last few weeks, has been dismissing concerns raised by vehicle owners. He has stated that petroleum lobbies are behind spreading fear amongst vehicle owners. In a few recent interviews, when questioned about E20 fuel and concerns regarding it, Gadkari stated that those questioning E20 fuel are “anti-nationals.”
He also added that they have conducted studies that showed that there are no damages to older vehicles. However, this contradicts the need for retrofit kits for older vehicles to make them compatible with E20 fuel. Now, what will happen with the timeline of E27 has not been highlighted by the government, and that has raised more concerns among vehicle owners.