Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday responded to social media allegations surrounding ethanol-blended fuel, saying the government welcomes constructive criticism but not misinformation about the biofuel programme.Referring to the recent online debate, Puri said people were free to point out shortcomings in the government’s work and assured them that genuine suggestions would be considered and incorporated wherever necessary. “Over the past few days, you may have noticed a buzz on social media regarding biofuel blending. I welcome criticism. If you feel there are shortcomings in the work we are doing, please point them out. We will listen to you, incorporate your suggestions into our work and make the necessary corrections,” he said.Going further, he also denied claims that ethanol attracts pests, destroys vehicle engines or fuel pumps. “However, consider the rumors that were circulating: first, that using ethanol would attract pests; and second, that using ethanol would cause the engine to misfire or fail, or the fuel pump to stop working.”The minister also said that using ethanol as fuel is not a new idea and has been around for nearly a century.
“We did not invent the concept of using ethanol; this has been in the works for a century. Henry Ford, the owner of Ford Motor Company, was driving cars on biofuels, kerosene and fossil fuels in his day. As for India, the Congress government was the first to formulate a plan for this. I remember the period when I was ambassador to Brazil – specifically between 2006 and 2008.”
Sharad Pawar was the agriculture minister at that time.
We had set a target of achieving 5% biofuel blending across ten states and union territories, although we were unable to achieve this – we were stuck at 1.4%.His comments come at a time when gasoline blended with ethanol is facing scrutiny after discussions on social media about its impact on car performance.Meanwhile, in a recent exclusive interview with ANI, Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) Director Dr Reji Mathai said that controlled tests conducted jointly by ARAI and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) found that vehicles running on E20 fuel recorded a 2 to 6 per cent reduction in fuel consumption compared to E10 fuel.Dr Mathai said the tests were conducted under controlled laboratory conditions to isolate the effect of the fuel mixture. “Studies have been done in collaboration with OEMs, car manufacturers who understand their vehicles well, to evaluate the impact of E20 compared to E10,” he said, adding that ethanol has a slightly lower calorific value than gasoline.The tests covered vehicles of different ages, jointly selected by ARAI and manufacturers, and showed a consistent 2 to 6 per cent reduction in fuel consumption.The issue also came into focus after a video on social media claimed that E20 gasoline was causing problems in a Toyota Hicross. However, Toyota Kirloskar Motor said its technical evaluation found that the car was E20 compliant and that the problem was caused by contaminated fuel, not the ethanol blend.“Furthermore, based on our detailed technical assessment of the vehicle, the problem was due to fuel contamination. Our inspection confirmed that there was no damage to any component of the vehicle or its fuel system,” the company said, advising customers to refuel only at approved and reputable gas stations.