Nagpur: The Union government has granted legal approval for vehicles to operate on 100% ethanol fuel, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari announced.
India imports crude oil worth about Rs 22 lakh crore annually. To reduce this import burden, the government has been promoting ethanol as an alternative to petrol.
Ethanol is produced from by-products of crops such as sugarcane and maize. Ethanol blending in fuel has gained popularity globally, and India’s programme has expanded from initial 5–10% blending to 20% blending for over a year.
As the next step, flex-fuel vehicles were recently introduced in the country, enabling the use of E85 fuel that contains 85% ethanol. A first dedicated dispensing station for this was inaugurated in Delhi last week.
With the latest decision, Gadkari said vehicles can now be run without petrol, using 100% ethanol, backed by legal recognition.
