‘Criticism is welcome, rumours are not’: Puri on E20 fuel buzz, engine damage claims

Union petroleum and natural gas minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday pushed back against social media claims surrounding ethanol-blended fuel, saying that 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 stir 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, and we will listen to you; we will incorporate your suggestions into our work and make the necessary corrections,” he said.Going further, he also dismissed claims of ethanol attracting pests, damages vehicle engines or fuel pumps. “However, consider the rumors that were being spread: first, that using ethanol would attract pests; second, that using ethanol would cause the engine to fail or get damaged, or cause the fuel pump to stop working.”The minister also said that the use of ethanol as a fuel is not a new idea and has been around for nearly a century. “We did not invent the concept of ethanol usage; work on this has been going on for a century. Henry Ford, the owner of the Ford Motor Company, drove cars using biofuels, kerosene, and fossil fuels back in his day. As for India, the Congress government was the first to formulate a plan for this. I recall my time as Ambassador to Brazil—specifically between 2006 and 2008. Sharad Pawar was the agriculture minister around that time. We had set a target of achieving 5% biofuel blending across ten states and union territories, though we were unable to meet it—we stalled at 1.4%.”His remarks come at a time when ethanol-blended petrol has been facing scrutiny following social media discussions over its impact on vehicle performance.Meanwhile, in a recent exclusive interview with ANI, Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) Director Dr Reji Mathai said 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 drop in fuel consumption compared with E10 fuel.Dr Mathai said the tests were carried out under controlled laboratory conditions to isolate the impact of the fuel blend. “The studies were done along with the OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers), the vehicle manufacturers who understand their vehicles very well, to assess the impact of E20 compared to E10,” he said, adding that ethanol has a slightly lower calorific value than petrol.The tests covered vehicles of different ages, jointly selected by ARAI and manufacturers, and showed a consistent 2 to 6 per cent drop in fuel consumption.The issue also came into focus after a social media video claimed E20 petrol had caused problems in a Toyota Hycross. However, Toyota Kirloskar Motor said its technical assessment found the vehicle was E20-compatible and that the issue was caused by contaminated fuel, not ethanol blending.“Further, based on our detailed technical assessment of the vehicle, the issue was due to fuel contamination. Our inspection confirmed that there was no damage to any vehicle component or its fuel system,” the company said, advising customers to refuel only at authorised and reputed fuel stations.