India has officially started selling E85 fuel with the launch of the country’s first E85 fuel station in Delhi.
Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri inaugurated the station on Friday, marking a major step towards the use of alternative fuels in the country.
E85 fuel contains 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent petrol. One of its biggest advantages is its lower price. In Delhi, E85 fuel is priced at ₹82.12 per litre, making it around 20 percent cheaper than E20 fuel.
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Hero and Maruti Introduce Flex-Fuel Vehicles
To support the use of E85 fuel, leading automobile manufacturers have already introduced flex-fuel vehicles in the Indian market.
Hero MotoCorp has launched flex-fuel versions of the Splendor Plus and HF Deluxe motorcycles. Meanwhile, Maruti Suzuki has introduced a flex-fuel version of the WagonR.
These vehicles are designed to run on fuel that contains 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent petrol.
E85 Fuel Is Only for Compatible Vehicles
After inaugurating the new fuel station on Delhi’s Pusa Road, Hardeep Singh Puri clarified that E85 fuel is meant only for flex-fuel vehicles equipped with compatible engines.
He said existing petrol vehicles cannot use this fuel. The shift to E85-compatible vehicles will happen gradually and only after extensive testing and approval by automobile manufacturers.
Government May Introduce Special Number Plates
The government is also considering separate and easily identifiable number plates for flex-fuel vehicles.
According to the minister, Delhi-NCR and the Pune-Mumbai-Nagpur region could have between 50 and 100 E85 fuel stations within the next few weeks.
The number is expected to increase to 500 stations by the end of this year and around 5,000 stations by the end of 2027.
Lower Price Could Attract More Buyers
The launch of E85 fuel comes shortly after the government introduced standards for higher ethanol-blended fuels such as E22, E25, E27 and E30.
Because E85 fuel is cheaper than many existing fuel options, it could attract more customers in the coming years. However, only owners of E85-compatible flex-fuel vehicles will be able to take advantage of this new fuel.