Vehicles on E20 fuel show 2-6% drop in fuel consumption in controlled tests: ARAI Director
Pune, July 4
Vehicles running on E20 fuel showed a 2 to 6 per cent drop in fuel consumption compared with E10 fuel in controlled tests conducted by the Automotive Research Association of India along with vehicle manufacturers, ARAI Director Dr Reji Mathai said in an exclusive interview with.
Explaining the findings of the study, Dr Mathai said the tests were designed to isolate the impact of the fuel blend under controlled laboratory conditions.
"The studies were done along with the OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers), the vehicle manufacturers who understand their vehicles very well, to assess the impact of E20 compared to E10," he said.
"We understand that ethanol as a fuel has a slightly lower calorific value. So the blend also has a slightly lower calorific value. There is a controlled test being done for fuel consumption," Dr Mathai added.
According to him, the tests were conducted in laboratory conditions where external variables could be eliminated to accurately measure the effect of the fuel.
"When these tests are done in controlled conditions -- chamber temperatures maintained, vehicles on rollers -- we can precisely understand the impact due to the fuel," he said.
Dr Mathai said ARAI and automobile manufacturers jointly selected a diverse set of vehicles to ensure the assessment covered different vehicle ages.
"We studied varied vehicles, selected by OEMs along with us. Some were 10 years old, some around 8 years old, and some 3 to 4 years old," he said.
"These vehicles, when tested, showed a range of around 2 to 6% drop in fuel consumption," Dr Mathai said.
The findings come as India continues to expand the use of E20 petrol, a blend containing 20 per cent ethanol and 80 per cent petrol, as part of its broader strategy to reduce crude oil imports, lower emissions and increase the use of domestically produced biofuels. The ARAI study provides controlled test data on how the higher ethanol blend affects vehicle fuel economy across different vehicle categories.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Good step towards reducing our dependence on imported crude oil. Ethanol from sugarcane and agricultural waste can benefit our farmers too. But what about older vehicles? Many of us have 10+ year old cars that might not be compatible with E20. Will the government provide any support for modifications or replacement? 🤔
Great to see ARAI doing scientific studies instead of gimmicks. A 2-6% improvement is meaningful when you consider the scale - millions of vehicles nationwide. But I'm curious about the long-term engine wear and maintenance costs. Ethanol can be corrosive and might affect rubber seals and fuel lines. Hope they've studied that too.
As someone from the US who's lived in India for 3 years, I've seen E10 here and E15 in parts of America. The fuel economy drop is consistent with what we see there. But what worries me more is the impact on food prices if we divert too much sugarcane for ethanol. India needs a careful balance between energy security and food security.
Finally some transparency! For too long we've been hearing about ethanol blending without concrete data. This study gives us numbers to work with. I hope similar controlled tests are done for emissions and engine durability. Also, will E20 be priced lower than regular petrol since it has lower calorific value? That would be fair to consumers. 😊
Good initiative but I have mixed feelings. On one hand, reducing oil imports is crucial for our economy. On the other hand, my 2015 Honda City already gives
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