Govt Will Make Flex-Fuel Engine Mandatory For Indian Automobile Firms: How Will It Help You?

The Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Sunday  said that in next 8-10 days, the government will take a decision over flex-fuel engines since it plans to make them mandatory for the automobile industry. He asserted that this move shall help farmers and boost the Indian economy.

How Indians Can Benefit?

He said that while petrol costs more than Rs 100 per litre in many parts of the country, the price of alternative fuel ethanol is Rs 60-62 per litre. While addressing Rotary District Conference 2020-21 virtually, he said that with such a move citizens can save Rs 30-35 per litre.

He said that sooner orders shall be issued by him regarding the flex-fuel engines as sooner only petrol engines will not be there and there will be choice for the people that they can use 100 per cent crude oil or 100 per ethanol.

He mentioned that in countries like Brazil, Canada and the US, the automakers are producing flex-fuel engines, enabling their citizens to use an alternative to customers to use 100 per cent petrol or 100 per cent bio-ethanol.

In order to curb pollution and reduce import dependence, the target date for achieving 20 per cent ethanol-blending with petrol has been advanced by five years to 2025 said Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Target of reaching 10 per cent ethanol blending in petrol by 2022 was set by government last year.

Rationale Behind The Decision

As against 1-1.5 per cent in 2014, 8.5 per cent ethanol is mixed with petrol presently. From 38 crore litres, the ethanol procurement has risen to 320 crore litres. Saying that ethanol is a better fuel than petrol, Gadkari said that it is also an import substitute, cost effective, pollution-free and indigenous.

We as a nation are a corn surplus, we are a sugar surplus, and a wheat surplus country and also that we do not have places to stock all these foodgrains said Gadkari. There is not enough storage to stock these foodgrains, which is posing a problem. Hence the government has taken the decision that you can make ethanol by using foodgrain and sugarcane juice.

?etr?l  ?ri?e  in  the  n?ti?n?l  ???it?l  ?r?ssed  Rs  97  ?  litre  ?nd  diesel  ne?red  Rs  88  ?fter  fuel  ?ri?es  were  r?ised  yet  ?g?in.  The  hike  ?n  Sund?y  w?s  the  27th  in?re?se  in  ?ri?es  sin?e  M?y  4,  when  st?te-?wned  ?il  firms  ended  ?  18-d?y  hi?tus  in  r?te  revisi?n  they  ?bserved  during  ?ssembly  ele?ti?ns  in  st?tes  like  West  Beng?l.  In  27  hikes,  ?etr?l  ?ri?e  h?s  risen  by  Rs  6.82  ?er  litre  ?nd  diesel  by  Rs  7.24  ?  litre.

In the recent weeks, in anticipation of demand recovery following the rollout of vaccination programme, international oil prices have firmed up. Imports are costlier now, as the rupee has weakened against the US dollar.