New Delhi: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has proposed a regulatory overhaul to enable the use of higher ethanol blends and alternative fuels in vehicles, signalling a broader shift beyond the current E20 blending framework.
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The draft amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 seek to formally allow fuels such as E85, which contains 85 percent ethanol blended with petrol, and E100, which enables vehicles to run on nearly pure ethanol. The proposal also includes B100 biodiesel and hydrogen-CNG fuel combinations.
The move is expected to create a regulatory pathway for flex-fuel and pure biofuel vehicles across all categories, including two-wheelers, three-wheelers, passenger vehicles and heavy-duty vehicles.
India has already achieved 20 percent ethanol blending with petrol, using ethanol derived from biomass such as sugarcane, corn and rice, as part of efforts to reduce crude oil imports and cut emissions.
In a gazette notification issued on April 27, the ministry said the proposed amendments will be considered after a 30-day public consultation period, during which stakeholders can submit objections or suggestions.
The draft also proposes to increase the vehicle weight limit from 3,000 kg to 3,500 kg, aligning Indian regulations with global standards for light commercial vehicles. This change is expected to bring a wider range of vehicles, including vans, pickup trucks and small commercial vehicles, under the same emission testing framework.
The amendments formally incorporate higher biofuel blends such as E20, E85, E100 and B100 into the regulatory framework. Existing provisions primarily recognised E10 and E20 fuels. The updated rules broaden the scope, allowing higher ethanol and biodiesel usage and enabling deployment of flex-fuel and biofuel vehicles at scale.
The notification also includes revisions to technical terminology and measurement standards. It replaces the term "Hydrogen+CN" with "Hydrogen+CNG" in fuel definitions.
The emission intensity unit has been corrected to "mg/kWh" from the earlier "Mg/kWh", clarifying that emissions are measured in milligrams per unit of energy produced.
Additionally, the World-Harmonised not-to-exceed (WNTE) emission limit has been revised from "60" to "600".
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WNTE is a globally adopted methodology that regulates emissions from heavy-duty engines under real-world operating conditions, rather than controlled laboratory settings.
It sets maximum permissible levels for nitrogen oxides and particulate matter emissions across a range of engine speeds, load conditions and ambient temperatures.