NEW DELHI : India has formally cleared the regulatory framework for the use of 100% ethanol (E100) as a vehicular fuel, a move that could accelerate the rollout of ethanol-powered cars and two-wheelers while deepening the country’s push to cut crude oil imports.
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari said he had signed the regulations authorising E100 fuel, creating a legal framework for automakers, fuel retailers and testing agencies to begin commercial deployment of pure ethanol-powered mobility solutions.
“I signed the file at 8 pm today,” Gadkari said while addressing the Sugar, Ethanol & Bio-Energy India Conference in Nagpur. The approval, he said, would help reduce India’s dependence on imported fossil fuels and expand the use of domestically produced biofuels.
Beyond E20
The decision marks a significant step beyond India’s ethanol-blending programme, which has focused on increasing ethanol content in petrol and is now nearing nationwide implementation of E20.
By creating a regulatory pathway for E100, the government is effectively enabling vehicles designed to run entirely on ethanol, opening a new technology route alongside electric, CNG, hybrid, and hydrogen-powered mobility.
