CEA Nageswaran pitches for bringing back E10 for older vehicle fleet

New Delhi, Aug 17 (IANS) Chief Economic Adviser V. Anantha Nageswaran has pitched for bringing back E10 petrol alongside E20 for India’s older vehicle fleet, saying the lower blend would help protect older two-wheelers, according to a report.

In an article — published by The Indian Express — Nageswaran said concerns over E20 petrol damaging engines were not supported by available evidence.

He noted that ethanol has about two-thirds the energy content of petrol, meaning E20 results in an energy penalty of up to 7 per cent rather than much higher reduction claimed on social media platforms.

According to Nageswaran, testing in the US and India found no increased wear in vehicles not rated for E20.

However, he identified a genuine concern involving an estimated 75-80 million older two-wheelers built before BS4 that use carburettors.

The CEA noted that the country has roughly 75 to 80 million older two-wheelers built before BS4 that run on carburettors, adding that a carburettor cannot sense the extra oxygen in the blend and adjust for it, so on E20, the engine draws in too little fuel for the air it draws in and runs hot.

“The original roadmap anticipated this and requested that a lower-blend fuel remain on sale for these vehicles, but that fuel quietly vanished from the pumps and needs to return. Restoring a lower blend at the pumps, say, E10, alongside the option to buy E20, would calm most public concern, lower total ethanol use instead of raising it, and protect the existing fleet while the retrofit programme catches up,” he said.

According to Nageswaran, carburettors cannot adjust for the additional oxygen in ethanol blends, potentially causing engines to run hot. Older rubber seals that are not ethanol-compatible could also degrade when exposed to ethanol.

“Restoring a lower blend at the pumps, say, E10, alongside the option to buy E20, would calm most public concern, lower total ethanol use instead of raising it, and protect the existing fleet while the retrofit programme catches up,” he wrote.

Nageswaran recommended holding at E20 until India conducts a thorough cost-benefit assessment of the food-versus-fuel trade-off, while addressing pricing, water-use and edible-oil policy distortions.

–IANS

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