E85 and E100 fuels may soon power vehicles as India proposes new rules

India has proposed amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, to formally incorporate higher ethanol-blended fuels as the country looks to expand ethanol use beyond the current E20 petrol blend target.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways issued a draft notification late on Tuesday proposing provisions for E85 fuel, a blend of 85 per cent ethanol with petrol, and E100, which would allow vehicles to run on nearly pure ethanol.

The draft notification, released on 27 April, also proposes changes to the technical classification of fuels used in emission standards as ethanol and biofuel blends become more widely used.
Under the proposed changes, the term for hydrogen-powered vehicles would be revised from “Hydrogen+CN” to “Hydrogen+CNG”.

For petrol vehicles, the fuel description would change from “[(E10)/(E)]” to “[(E10)/(E20)]”.

The draft also introduces specific references to higher ethanol blends such as E85 and E100 (100 per cent ethanol), while biodiesel references would be updated from B10 to B100 (100 per cent biodiesel).

The draft rules have been opened for public comments, after which the government will take a final decision.

India achieved its target of 20 per cent ethanol blending (E20) in petrol in 2025 and is now looking to increase blending further to reduce costly imports of petroleum products, reported the Mint.

Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari recently said that India should aspire to achieve 100 per cent ethanol blending in the near future, as vulnerabilities in oil exports amid the West Asia crisis have made it necessary for the country to become self-reliant in the energy sector.

Earlier this month, the Centre also permitted blending ethanol and other synthetic or man-made hydrocarbons in Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF), though no immediate mandatory blending targets have been set, according to a government notification.