Pilibhit: All India Distillers’ Association (AIDA) and IIT-Delhi have jointly submitted a scientific roadmap to the Centre for the country’s transition from E20 petrol to higher ethanol blends such as E85 and E100, identifying cost-per-kilometre parity, vehicle technology, fuel availability and retail infrastructure as key prerequisites for making high-ethanol mobility viable at scale.
The roadmap assumes added significance amid Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari ’s announcement that he has been invited to the Oct launch of a Toyota Innova capable of running on 100% ethanol. With domestic ethanol capacity, according to AIDA, now exceeding 2,000 crore litres, the paper underscores that India’s next challenge is not merely producing ethanol but creating viable pathways to utilise it, while strengthening energy security and reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels.
The shift towards E85 and E100 will require consumers to find the economics comparable with conventional fuels, particularly on a cost-per-kilometre basis, according to the paper. This makes pricing mechanisms and the availability of higher-ethanol fuels at retail outlets critical to adoption.