What The Govt Is NOT Telling You About E20 Petrol: Deep Dive Into All Bad Effects

We have all been hearing from many “paid” social media influencers and government agencies that ethanol-blended E20 petrol is amazing as it supports farmers, reduces pollution, and offers many other benefits. However, we have to reveal the truth that although there are some benefits of E20 fuel, there are a number of bad effects as well. So without any delay, let's jump right into the details of all the bad effects of E20 fuel.

Not as perfect as the government would like you to believe

Significant mileage drop, especially on older vehicles

The Government of India has been claiming that E20 blending is a small and manageable shift. With slight retuning of the engine, they claim there will only be a small drop in efficiency and performance. However, the reality is that independent surveys have shown two out of three car owners opposing E20 because of a noticeable fall in mileage.

These owners have highlighted that they now need more fuel to travel the same distance they usually cover. This, in turn, is nullifying the claimed cost benefits. There are plenty of owners who have shared their videos showing this drop in mileage and efficiency.

Higher maintenance costs of older cars

Another false claim the government is making is that petrol consumers have nothing to worry about when it comes to maintenance costs. However, many owners have highlighted that this is only true for petrol car owners who bought their vehicles after 2023. For an average old-car owner, issues with the fuel system have started to appear.

Older cars that are not compatible with running on E20 fuel have been suffering from more wear and tear of parts such as rubber seals, gaskets, injectors, and fuel lines.

Ethanol is corrosive in nature and corrodes certain metals and plastics over time. To avoid this, car owners have to pay extra for fuel system cleaners and spend more on the maintenance of fuel system parts.

No monetary relief at the petrol pump

The biggest claim of the government is that ethanol blending helps in cutting oil imports, which will save around Rs 1.4 lakh crore, and that it will be a big win for the Indian economy.

However, in reality, this saving is not being passed on to consumers. Fuel prices remain the same as before. It has been reported that oil PSUs are now boosting dividend payouts to the government, which again is not helping the end consumer.

Farmers’ income increase claim

Another important claim from the government is that the demand for ethanol will ensure the income of sugarcane, corn, and rice farmers increases, which might be true in the short run.

However, in the long run, over-reliance on sugarcane will increase groundwater depletion. Also, rice and corn are being diverted by the government, which will threaten food security in the future.

E20 is not very environment-friendly

The green promise the government is making for the push of E20 fuel is that it is beneficial for the environment. However, this is not true. As mentioned above, sugarcane’s massive water consumption accelerates groundwater depletion. It takes 2,860 liters of fresh water to produce 1 liter of ethanol.

Also, diverting rice and corn for fuel will increase India's dependency on imports. Lastly, as E20 fuel reduces mileage, consumers will now need to burn more fuel to travel the same distance.