Centre says E25 petrol not ready to be rolled out yet

Union minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, said during a recent media interaction that the public rollout of E25 petrol is still some time away. He stated that E25 (25 percent ethanol-blended petrol) is still undergoing tests at the moment and “any suggestions that we are bringing E25 now is misrepresentation.”

Government on E25 and other ethanol blends

Speaking about E25 petrol, Puri said the fuel is not yet ready for the market as the Centre is still “conducting tests, which will take time.” He went on to say that any progress on the matter will be based on the results from these tests, which will be followed by an evaluation phase. Once that is done, “we will then talk to the stakeholders and automobile manufacturers,” said Puri. However, the minister did not specify a timeline for this process.

Puri also spoke about the recently introduced E85 petrol, saying it will take a bit of time for E85 to be made publicly available in more parts of the country, as new petrol pumps will have to be commissioned first. Touching upon the ongoing discussions surrounding E20 petrol, Puri said, “There is no controversy. There are 20 crore two-wheelers and 20 lakh four-wheelers on the road that are using E20. There are the automobile manufacturers and vehicle service centres, all have said that there are no difficulties.” 

The Union minister mentioned that India has been using E15 petrol since April 2023 and E19 petrol since April 2024. He also noted that the adoption of E20 petrol “was implemented only after years of scientific testing.”