Centre Puts Brakes On E25 Petrol: Rollout Still In Testing, Says Puri
Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri has confirmed that E25 petrol, the 25 percent ethanol blended fuel, is not ready for a public rollout. Speaking at a media interaction, he said the fuel is still being tested and dismissed reports of an imminent launch as misrepresentation.
What was announced
Puri, speaking to media, said E25 petrol is currently undergoing tests and any suggestion that the Centre is bringing it to market now is a misrepresentation. He stated that the fuel is not ready for the market yet as the government is still conducting tests, which will take time. Progress, he said, will be based on the results from these tests, followed by an evaluation phase.
Sort out the E20 mess with owners and OEMs first; only then earn the right to push another ethanol blend into Indian pumps.
Only after that will the Centre engage with stakeholders and automobile manufacturers. Puri did not commit to any timeline for the testing, evaluation, or consultation stages. E25 refers to petrol blended with 25 percent ethanol, a step up from the E20 blend currently being rolled out across Indian fuel stations. Higher ethanol blends require compatible engines, fuel system components, and calibration, and have been a flashpoint between OEMs, owners, and the Centre over efficiency and durability concerns.
The minister also addressed E85, the 85 percent ethanol blend recently introduced. He said wider availability will take time as new petrol pumps compatible with the fuel need to be commissioned first. On the ongoing debate over E20, Puri maintained that there is no controversy, even as owners and industry voices have flagged mileage drops and compatibility questions on older vehicles never certified for the higher blend.
The Car Jury verdict
The clarification is welcome, and long overdue. The E20 rollout has already sparked a running argument between the Centre, carmakers, and owners about real-world efficiency losses and long-term engine wear on cars never designed for it. Pushing E25 into pumps before that dust settles would have been reckless, and Puri's admission that stakeholder and OEM consultation is still pending is the right sequence, even if it should have been the sequence with E20 too.
For buyers eyeing a petrol car today, this changes nothing on the showroom floor. If anything, it strengthens the case for going electric on models where the maths already works, the Tata Harrier EV, Tata Curvv EV, and Mahindra BE6 among them. Fuel policy in India remains a moving target; hedge accordingly.
