Govt. amends rules to enable use of E100 in compliant vehicles

Why in the News

India’s vehicle rules have moved from recognising ethanol fuels of up to 85% (E85) to also permitting E100, fuel made entirely of ethanol, in compliant vehicles. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has amended the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, paving the way for flex-fuel vehicles.

What do the amended rules allow?

1. What it is: A flex-fuel vehicle runs on petrol, on ethanol blends of any proportion, or on pure ethanol, much like a dual-SIM phone that works on either network.
2. Rules amended: The changes modify Rule 115, on emission standards, and Rule 115E, on emission testing. Several Rule 115 tables now list E100 alongside E85.
3. Fuel definitions: E85 contains up to 85% ethanol. E100 is fuel of 100% ethanol, subject to the applicable fuel specification.
4. Who may use it: An explanatory note says E85 or E100 may be used only in vehicles that original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), the vehicle makers, design as flex-fuel vehicles.
5. The takeaway: Pure ethanol now has a legal place in India’s emission rules, but only in vehicles built for it.

What did MoRTH tell existing vehicle owners?

1. Compatibility limit: A vehicle that runs on E10 or E20, petrol with 10% or 20% ethanol, is not thereby suitable for E85.
2. No forced switch: The notification does not require owners of existing vehicles to switch to E85 or modify their vehicles, now or in future.
3. Check the sticker: Motorists should check the fuel compatibility sticker on their vehicle and follow the owner’s manual when choosing fuel.
4. Corrected classification: Fuel classifications now name E20, the standard blend, where an earlier notation wrongly referred to E10.

Why does the change matter for India’s ethanol path?

1. E20 default: E20 has been the default fuel since April 2025.
2. Higher blends: In May 2026, the government notified specifications for E22, E25, E27 and E30.
3. Certification pathway: OEMs can now design, certify and type-approve dedicated flex-fuel vehicles, meaning they can obtain official approval that a model meets the standards.
4. Enabling, not a market: The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) calls the change “an enabling step, not a market outcome”, meaning the rule permits such vehicles but does not put them on the road.

Challenges

1. Food-fuel competition: Ethanol drawn from sugarcane, maize and rice competes with food. Eg. In 2024-25, the Food Corporation of India sold 5.2 million tonnes of rice for ethanol.
2. Grain dependence: Grain-based ethanol now supplies nearly 72% of blending, so many sugar-mill distilleries stay underused.
3. Land pressure: Meeting the 2025-26 ethanol target could use up to 7 million hectares of cropland, competing with food crops.

Way Forward

1. Demand certainty for automakers: Encourage the auto industry to develop flex-fuel vehicles by creating demand certainty, backed by Biofuel Technology Parks for testing and scaling.
2. Non-food feedstock: Shift to crop residues, municipal waste and microalgae. Eg. Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited’s Panipat second-generation ethanol plant uses crop stubble.
3. Grain only in surplus: Restrict grain-based ethanol to surplus periods, in line with NITI Aayog‘s 2021 Ethanol Roadmap.

Conclusion

The rule change is complete, so the next step lies with vehicle makers, who must now design and certify dedicated flex-fuel models. Whether that happens without ethanol drawing further on food grain is the tension to watch.

Back2Basics: Ethanol blending

1. Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme: Under the National Policy on Biofuels, sugar mills are encouraged to divert sugarcane juice, syrup and molasses to ethanol, giving them a second revenue stream.
2. Blending progress: Ethanol blending rose from 1.53% in 2014 to the E20 target in 2025.
3. Distillery support: The Ethanol Interest Subvention Scheme gives new and expanded distilleries soft loans with a 6% interest subvention.
4. Four generations: The policy recognises 1G (edible feedstocks), 2G (non-edible crop residues), 3G (algae-based) and 4G (advanced synthetic) biofuels.

Matching Previous Year Question

“[2020] According to India’s National Policy on Biofuels, which of the following can be used as raw materials for the production of biofuels? 1. Cassava 2. Damaged wheat grains 3. Groundnut seeds 4. Horse gram 5. Rotten potatoes 6. Sugar beet Select the correct answer using the code given below: (a) 1, 2, 5 and 6 only (b) 1, 3, 4 and 6 only (c) 2, 3, 4 and 5 only (d) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 ANSWER: (a)”