Indian Oil XP100 Has 0 % Ethanol: Here's Proof! [Video]
A number of people on the internet are asking about the percentage of ethanol currently being blended in various fuels from different petrol pump brands. Recently, addressing these concerns, a biking enthusiast and YouTuber conducted an ethanol percentage check test on fuels from different fuel stations. He showed the results of each type of fuel and the amount of ethanol in it and shared the details of his experiment in a video.
Indian Oil premium fuels tested
Prior to the Shell and Bharat Petroleum test, the YouTuber conducted tests for Indian Oil’s premium fuels - XP95 and XP100. It was found that the XP100 currently has 0 percent ethanol. Meanwhile, the XP95 has 15 percent ethanol. Unfortunately, despite XP100 being the best choice of fuel, it is currently not a practical option for most riders, as it is priced at Rs 160 per litre.
This video, showing the ethanol percentage in different fuels from petrol pumps like Shell and Bharat Petroleum, has been shared on YouTube by Zuby The Rider. It starts off with the vlogger going to the Shell fuel station to collect Shell normal fuel and Shell V-Power fuel. For his ethanol percentage check test, he takes 500 ml of both fuels and collects them in a container.
Following this, he goes to the Bharat Petroleum fuel pump and asks for BP normal and BP Speed fuel. After this, he brings home these fuel samples to conduct his experiment. For the most accurate measurement, he first prepares a water solution by combining water and green food colour. He mentions that this colour is being added to the water to differentiate it from the fuel.
He highlights that adding green colour to the water will not change anything in the results; it will just help in noting the difference. Following this, he adds 25 ml of green water into a cylindrical measuring tube and adds 75 ml of each of the fuel types. He does this in four different tubes, and after adding them, he mixes them thoroughly in separate bottles and re-adds them to the measuring tube.
The main principle behind this test is that ethanol is soluble in water, whereas petrol is not. So when the water-and-ethanol-mixed fuel is left to settle, the ethanol separates into the water layer, increasing the volume of water in the container. The increase in water level directly indicates the ethanol content in the fuel type tested.
Test results
Following this, the YouTuber starts showing the test results. It was noted that Shell V-Power, which is a 91-octane fuel, indicated that it had exactly 14.66 percent ethanol after the initial 25 ml of water increased to 36 ml. He then shows the results of Shell normal petrol, which is also 91 octane, and offers the same reading of 36 ml of water, with the ethanol percentage coming out to 14.66 percent. Both of these are exactly the same as advertised by Shell.
Next, he shows the result of Bharat Petroleum’s normal fuel, which is again 91-octane fuel. He mentions the water level reached 37 ml, which means that the BP normal petrol has 16 percent ethanol. Lastly, he mentions that BP Speed, which is a 97-octane fuel, had the lowest water level increase at 34 ml. Its ethanol percentage is also the lowest at 12 percent.