By Arpan Chaturvedi
NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India’s top court on Monday dismissed a petition challenging the government’s move to roll out 20% ethanol-blended fuel in vehicles across the country.
In 2021 India set a target to introduce 20% ethanol-blended fuel, called E20, in vehicles as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s focus on clean energy. The public interest petition was filed last month after E20 recently became the only choice of fuel at nearly 90,000 fuel stations across India, leading to an uproar among motorists concerned about the impact on their older vehicles.
India’s Attorney General R. Venkataramani told the Supreme Court hearing on Monday that the government’s move to roll out E20 vehicle fuel was well considered and would also benefit farmers who grow sugarcane, the main ingredient of ethanol. In its response to the legal challenge which asked for an option to buy unblended fuel, the Indian government said all the issues were being considered and its decision was not a “mindless application of switching out one system with another.”
Some automakers in India initially argued that E20 fuel had not been tested for compatibility with older vehicles, but later backtracked.
Over the weekend, a lobby group representing the country’s automakers also sought to assuage consumer concerns, saying the blended fuel is safe to use.
E20 fuel in older vehicles lowers mileage but is not a safety risk, P.K. Banerjee, executive director at the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), said late on Saturday at a press conference on the issue in New Delhi, also attended by executives from auto companies, fuel retailers and industry groups.
(Reporting by Arpan Chaturvedi; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala and Susan Fenton)
