E20 Effect: Car Mileage Went From 17 To 5?

The Indian petroleum ministry had been very firm on its decision to blend ethanol with petrol and supply it to the common public in the country. It is a standard practice to supply E20 petrol to all vehicle classes and it has led to public anguish as well.

When asked to comment on the same day, Indian petroleum ministry said this E20 petrol is an experiment in progress and results will be known only after one year.

Now there is this one particular video involving a popular YouTuber, which is now going viral on social media as it gives an indication of the possible effects of E20 petrol on vehicles.

In this video, this popular YouTuber is seen commenting that his Mercedes-Benz car which used to deliver around 17 km mileage is now delivering only 5 km/ litre. He did not necessarily name the quality of the petrol, but the implication is extremely clear here as the engine efficiency and the fuel economy has dropped massively.

As of now, this is just an individual case, as people at large have not been commenting about massive drop in mileage across the country. But if we keep here more such cases in the next few months, then there would be obvious pressure on the Indian petroleum ministry to calibrate the decision to blend ethanol.

Recently, the Indian authorities stated that the ethanol blending could reduce the engine efficiency and fuel economy by around 5%, which is now deemed to be acceptable. But if there is a bigger impact than that, the common public could be reacting adversely.