E20 Can Reduce 6% Mileage: Gadkari Finally Opens Up!

For the last few months, there has been a lot of public backlash against the blending of ethanol in petrol. However, union minister Nithin Gadkari had been very firm on this decision as he had been calling for a greener revolution in the petroleum market.

There are several concerns about the kind of impact that this blending can have on the automobiles and that’s back in the discussion now again.

Petrol blended with 20% ethanol (E20) can reduce vehicle fuel efficiency by 2% to 6%, depending on the vehicle category and its age, road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari said in the Parliament on Thursday.

The union minister communicated that the agencies and automobile manufacturers found that E20 fuel remains safe for vehicles, although some BS-III vehicles manufactured before 2016 may require replacement of certain rubber parts and gaskets during routine servicing.

Nitin Gadkari has faced criticism over the government’s push for higher ethanol blending (including E20) after reports highlighted the rapid revenue growth of Cian Agro, a company linked to his son, Nikhil Gadkari.

Now there is a full protest happening against Nithin Gadkari, and also the prospect of blending ethanol with petrol in the first place. If this movement catches up in India in the days to follow, then the government could be forced to track back on the same with education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.