India plans higher ethanol blends to accelerate flex-fuel vehicle transition

The Indian government is actively formulating plans to permit ethanol blending beyond the current 20% ceiling, according to Tarun Kapoor, advisor to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Emphasizing the need for a comprehensive biofuel strategy, Kapoor stated that the nationwide retail access to E100, or fuel blended with 100% ethanol, must be significantly expanded to complement the commercial rollout of flex-fuel vehicles across the domestic market.

Kapoor underscored the strategic necessity of utilizing domestically available resources, urging that India must fully harness its internal capacities to strengthen energy security. Stepping beyond the 20% ethanol benchmark is expected to drastically cut the country’s massive crude oil import bill while stimulating rural agricultural economies by directly supporting sugarcane farmers and grain producers.