The government has proposed to expand the definition of fuel to include higher ethanol and biodiesel blends. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways issued a draft notification to amend the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989.
The new draft proposes to accomodate vehicles with ethanol blending up to 100% (E100) and 85% (E85) and biodiesel up to 100% (B100). Similarly definition of Hydrogen-CNG blend has also been revised.
Cars manufactured after April 2023 are fully E20 compliant while also being capable of accepting ethanol blends up to 30%.
The Ministry has also proposed to increase gross vehicle weight to 3,500 kilogram from 3,000 kg.
"In the near future, India should aspire to achieve 100 per cent ethanol blending... Today, we are facing an energy crisis due to the war in West Asia, so it is necessary for us to become self-reliant in the energy sector," Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said at the Indian Federation of Green Energy's Green Transport Conclave last week.
Countries such as Brazil have already moved to 100% ethanol blending, showing a possible path India may study as it expands biofuel use.
Last week, the Centre permitted the use of ethanol in aviation turbine fuel (ATF). The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas amended the Aviation Turbine Fuel (Regulation of Marketing) Order, 2001, to allow the blending of ethanol in jet fuel. Following the update, ATF is defined as "mix of hydrocarbons that can also include synthesised components, as per Indian standards."
The move, which is expected to push the usage of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), will contribute in reducing India's dependence on imported crude oil.
Currently, the ATF used by Indian carriers is pure jet fuel, with no biofuels mixed into it. The government has set a target of achieving 1% SAF blending by 2027, 2% by 2028, and 5% by 2030. This aligns with the goal set by International Civil Aviation Organization, the UN civil aviation safety watchdog.
ALSO READ: Green Skies: Govt Permits Ethanol Blending In ATF In Big Push For Biofuels
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