The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) on Tuesday sought to allay concerns over the quality of E20 petrol, saying media reports citing selective excerpts from its internal communication did not reflect the complete context of its engagement with stakeholders.
The clarification comes after multiple media reports claimed the industry body had flagged fuel contamination at petrol pumps, raising concerns over damage to engine and exhaust components in vehicles running on ethanol-blended petrol.
In a statement, SIAM said the communication referred to in media reports formed part of "routine and ongoing technical deliberations" involving industry bodies, oil marketing companies (OMCs), automobile manufacturers and testing agencies.
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"Certain media reports have cited excerpts from a SIAM communication with specific and selective focus on chloride and sulphur content in fuel," the industry body said.
SIAM emphasised that fuel quality testing under India's existing regulatory framework is "rigorous and comprehensive", covering more than 150 parameters that are routinely monitored by OMCs.
It added that figures cited in the communication require authentication through the collection of extensive data and should not be viewed in isolation.
The industry body also noted that the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) has instituted a precautionary guideline of 3 parts per million (ppm) for chloride and sulphur, saying the measures adequately address the automobile industry's requirements.
"The automobile industry has always been fully supportive of E20," SIAM said, adding that there is "no cause for concern" arising from the matter reported.
It further said technical issues relating to fuel quality have been routinely discussed between automobile manufacturers and OMCs for decades as part of established industry processes.
The clarification follows reports earlier suggesting SIAM had raised concerns with the petroleum ministry over rising chloride contamination and moisture levels in E20 petrol after the nationwide rollout of ethanol-blended fuel.
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Those reports said SIAM had linked fuel contamination to higher replacement rates of fuel injectors, fuel pumps, exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valves and other engine components. The reports also claimed the industry body had recommended stricter chloride limits under Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) fuel specifications.
Responding to those reports, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said fuel quality is monitored regularly by OMCs and testing protocols have been further strengthened across the country.
The ministry said water ingress checks are now conducted 8–12 times daily at more than 87,000 retail outlets. It also said over 2,000 fuel samples had been tested for chloride and sulphide contamination, with only two cases of chloride contamination detected nationwide.
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