World's first ethanol-powered car unveiled by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari

Tags: Science and Technology

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari unveiled the world's first car that runs entirely on ethanol in New Delhi, marking a historic moment for India's energy landscape.

An Overview of the News

• The car is the first Stage-II BS-VI electrified flex-fuel vehicle, which runs entirely on ethanol as a fuel source.

• Currently, India's oil import bill stands at Rs 16 lakh crore, which highlights the need to curb this expenditure.

• Addressing environmental concerns, Minister Gadkari underlined the need for sustainable solutions, stressing that 40 percent of pollution is generated from the transport sector.

• Ethanol blending not only reduces pollution but also has the potential to increase India's agricultural growth by 12 to 20 percent, thereby creating several employment opportunities.

Significant Benefits of Ethanol Blending

• Financial savings: Estimated annual savings of Rs 35 thousand crore in import cost through the implementation of 20 percent ethanol blending.

• Exceeding targets: India achieved 10 percent ethanol blending ahead of its 2022 target, leading to a revised target of 20 percent ethanol blending by 2026, five years ahead of the original target of 2030.

• Accelerated timeline: To further promote ethanol blending, the government has accelerated its timeline and increased the target of achieving 20 per cent ethanol blending in petrol from 2030 to 2025.

• Nationwide Availability: There is a plan to make 20 percent ethanol blended petrol (E20) widely accessible across India by 2025.

Advances in ethanol blending and its benefits

• History of Biofuel Blending: Government efforts to integrate biofuel blending began earlier, with a limited success rate of 1.53 percent under the previous administration.

• Remarkable progress: The present government has increased the ethanol blending from 1.53 percent to 10.17 percent by July 2022, which shows substantial progress in this initiative.

• Empowering farmers: Ethanol blending has contributed to farmers earning Rs 82,000 crore, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a self-reliant India.

• Flex-Fuel Technology: The newly introduced flex-fuel technology allows higher levels of ethanol blending in petrol, over 20 percent. The technology aims to reduce carbon emissions, promote sustainable mobility, and reduce dependence on conventional fuel sources.

Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas - Hardeep Singh Puri