Centre Clears Flex-Fuel Vehicles Running on Up to E100

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The Union Road Transport Ministry on Monday notified amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules that permit flex-fuel vehicles to run on ethanol blends of up to E100, or nearly pure ethanol, in a move aimed at cutting India's reliance on imported crude oil.

A senior ministry official said that blends above E20, the 20 per cent ethanol-petrol mix already on sale, up to E100 are meant solely for vehicles specifically designed and certified for them. Vehicles built for E20 or ordinary fuel cannot be run on E85 or E100.

The amendments also revise several vehicle classification thresholds, fuel specifications, and technical references used in emission tables and testing provisions. The weight ceiling for light petrol and diesel vehicles covered by the changes has been raised to 3,500 kg from 3,000 kg.

Flex-fuel vehicles are engineered to handle higher ethanol content, such as E85 (85 per cent ethanol, 15 per cent petrol) and E100, unlike conventional petrol vehicles that are currently approved only for lower blends.

The notification comes months after Maruti Suzuki India introduced the country's first flex-fuel passenger car in June. The Wagon R Flex Fuel can run on blends ranging from E20 to E100. Toyota Motor Corporation, Tata Motors and Hyundai Motor Company are also developing flex-fuel models for the Indian market.

The government has been pushing ethanol-blended petrol to rein in crude imports, one of the biggest drivers of the country's current account deficit. With the West Asia conflict exposing India and several other nations to an energy crisis, the case for such vehicles has grown stronger.

The ministry had earlier put out draft amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, seeking to widen the room for higher ethanol blends and alternative fuels across vehicle categories. The draft covered E85 and E100, B100 biodiesel, and hydrogen-CNG combinations.