Petroleum Ministry Secretary: "All Petrol Pumps Have Shifted To E20 Now"

E20 blended fuel has been making multiple headlines recently. The government seems to be determined to go forward with the complete rollout of blended fuel. Now, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas Secretary Pankaj Jain has confirmed that all fuel stations now sell E20 blended petrol, and has also answered an important question- ‘Will fuel stations in India dispense multiple blends?’.

Many of you might have already had this doubt in mind. The Secretary has now clarified that pumps will only sell E20 fuel, and will no offer multiple blends. He was having an exclusive conversation with Acko Drive, at the Biofuels 360° Summit in New Delhi when he made this statement.

A video shared by Acko shows a journalist asking the Secretary, if pumps will offer multiple dispensing units in terms of blending options. Jain confirms that this won’t be the case. The journalist then asks if the ministry would look at the Brazil model, where they have multiple blends on offer at fuel stations. Jain reaffirms that the plan (for now) is to stick to E20. ‘Till E20, there’s only one dispensing’- he says.

The jouno then asks if they would be open to considering the Brazil model beyond E20. Jain replies by saying that it may or may not happen. An inter-ministerial committee is already examining the possibility. Jain adds that he would not ‘prejudge it’ and would rather wait for the committee’s report before making a comment on the same.

Single Dispensing: The Advantages

The government’s single dispensing policy will have several benefits.It will make production and logistics easier for oil companies. Furthermore, it will also reduce complexity for the end consumer, unfortunately by keeping the options limited.

This is also expected to bring about faster policy implementation. Sources say that having multiple blends (E10, E20 and E27 in the future) on sale simultaneously would male things complicated on the distribution, retail, and campaign fronts.

Why Do We Need Multi-Dispensing?

However, Jain hasn’t completely ruled out the possibility of multiple dispensing options being introduced in the future. These are likely to be introduced as the government rolls out policies favouring higher Ethanol blends (beyond E20) in the upcoming years.

India has been very aggressive with its blending plans. The E10 (10% Ethanol blending) was achieved ahead of the proposed timeline, and a similar outcome is expected in the case of E20 as well. As is obvious, 20% Ethanol blending will not likely be as forgiving on the vehicle health as E10 fuel.

The possible consequences of its long-term use has created panic among petrol car owners. Adding to this, the government has also been promoting second-generation ethanol ( produced from agricultural waste) actively.

When viewed from an objective perspective, it feels unjust to not offer the end consumer selectable fuel blends at pumps. It isn’t fair to force a specific blend on a community that’s doubtful or ignorant of its aftermath.

E20 Petrol: What Chaos To Expect?

The government has been reassuring citizens that E20 petrol will not do harm to modern cars and SUVs. Vehicles manufactured after April 2023 are all E20-compatible. Things won’t, however, be smooth for older vehicles. Due to their incompatibilities with blended fuels, older petrol cars will likely be more prone to faster engine wear and powertrain-related issues.

The Ethanol content in the fuel can corrode the engine cylinders if the vehicle is kept unused for long. It can also make the rubber components (like the fuel lines for example) soft and weak. These will need to be changed more frequently. An incompatible engine can also be prone to engine knocking and decreased fuel efficiency.

Using additives like fuel system cleaners can help reduce damage to the key powertrain components in E20 incompatible vehicles. You can resort to this until proper E20 conversion kits surface in the market.