Hyderabad: Telangana Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar on Wednesday, September 9, said there is no evidence of ethanol blending in petrol causing damage to vehicles, adding that the Transport Department had not received any information in this regard.
“It has not come to the attention of our Transport Department from vehicle owners or automobile industry experts regarding ethanol-blended petrol causing damage to vehicles. Therefore, there are no details related to this. Therefore, there is no scope for guidelines or regulatory measures.” Ponnam said in the Assembly.
Centre’s stance on E20
In July, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi, in a written reply to questions in the Lok Sabha, stated that the government had not received any widespread or substantiated complaints from vehicle manufacturers, automobile associations or consumer organisations regarding E20 fuel.
Laboratory studies, field trials and operational data showed no widespread adverse impact on engine durability, performance or vehicle life. More than 20 crore two-wheelers and over 3 crore petrol cars have been operating on higher ethanol blends without verified evidence of widespread engine failures attributable to ethanol blending, the minister said.
SIAM’s withdrawn letter
In August, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) had written to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, flagging concerns over E20 fuel.
SIAM had noted that investigations revealed that there was corrosion or wear caused by high chloride presence traced to the fuel used in vehicles that suffered issues with E20 fuel, while highlighting the highly detrimental effect of chloride on engine parts.
SIAM members had also flagged excessive moisture content in E20 fuel dispensed at retail outlets, stating that high moisture above 1 per cent causes separation of fuel and “paralyses the vehicle immediately after fuelling”.
The letter was later withdrawn, citing the need for further authentication.
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