Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) Chairman and Managing Director Sanjay Khanna on Thursday, 27 August categorically stated that there is no proposal to replace E20 petrol with E10, clarifying that the ongoing debate concerns only whether older vehicles should have access to a lower-ethanol fuel option. His remarks came during a media interaction following the company's annual shareholder meeting in New Delhi.

What Khanna Actually Said

'I never said that E20 will be changed to E10. What is being debated in some circles is whether older vehicles should have an option of lower-ethanol blend fuel,' Khanna said, pushing back against what he described as a mischaracterisation of his earlier comments.

He clarified that the discussion is not about rolling back India's ethanol-blending programme but about whether E10 fuel — containing 10 per cent ethanol and 90 per cent petrol — could be offered as an additional grade specifically for older vehicles, alongside the existing E20 blend of 20 per cent ethanol and 80 per cent petrol.

Supply Challenges Being Examined

'One of the options being explored is whether we have E10 fuel for the older vehicle, which is what is being pursued right now. There are challenges related to supply, whether we can handle another grade of petrol simultaneously. Yes, those challenges are there, and they are being debated,' Khanna said.

Notably, the BPCL chief added that he sees no operational or logistical barrier to switching from E20 to E10 if the government were to revise its ethanol-blending policy — a scenario he emphasised is not currently on the table.

Government Pushes Back on Misinformation

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas recently issued a factsheet to counter claims circulating in media and on social media that vehicles manufactured before 2023 cannot safely run on E20 petrol, and that automakers have privately flagged the blended fuel as undesirable.

According to the ministry's factsheet, E15-plus fuel has been in widespread use for over three and a half years, while E19–E20 fuel has been in circulation for more than two and a half years. During this entire period, no verified instance of widespread engine failure or vehicle breakdown attributable to ethanol blending has been recorded.

The ministry further noted that systemic engine damage from ethanol blending would have triggered large-scale warranty claims, service campaigns, and consumer complaints — none of which have materialised, according to the factsheet.

Context: India's Ethanol Blending Push

India has aggressively pursued ethanol blending in petrol as part of a broader strategy to reduce crude import dependence and cut carbon emissions. The government had set a target of achieving 20 per cent ethanol blending nationwide by 2025, a deadline that was subsequently advanced. The current debate over an E10 option for older vehicles reflects the tension between that policy ambition and the practical reality of India's large fleet of ageing vehicles.

As the government and industry continue deliberations, the outcome of the supply-feasibility assessment will likely determine whether a dual-grade petrol system becomes viable at scale.