Countries globally are aiming for cleaner mobility, and the solutions are many — better public transport, electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, etc. While one or a combination of methods has worked for countries, India is unique, and a combination of all is required, including the usage of ethanol-blended petrol.
Ethanol-blended fuel was something India took towards, after Brazil saw success with it, and oil companies in India have gone up to a 20 percent ethanol mix, while many carmakers have tuned their engines to run on E20 petrol. However, one question remains — mileage?
Has ethanol-mixed fuel robbing mileage?
One X user, Venkatesh Alla, who voices out against the Indian tax system, tweeted “Hey @IndianOilcl, how much ethanol are you dumping into petrol da? Car mileage has tanked for the past year! We’re forced to pay full price for petrol that’s 20% adulterated, this is nothing but an organised scam. The business and the government, both are acting like shameless thieves, looting citizens in broad daylight!”
He was quick to get replies, and one user said, “I have also noticed this in last 3-4 months, earlier my car was giving 18-19 KMPL and now it is giving me 14-15 KMPL.”
Some users even went as far as to point out to the government and even question Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This raises the question: does ethanol-mixed petrol harm the vehicle?
Ethanol-mixed petrol: Side effects
Ethanol is hygroscopic, which means it absorbs water, and when left in the tank for too long, it can corrode the inside of the tank and the fuel lines. As a result, when corroded particles get pushed into the fuel injector system, this can cause serious damage to vehicles. Also, if a vehicle engine is not designed to run on E10 or E20 fuel – like BS 2, BS 4, and early BS 6 models – there will be harm to the engine.
That said, ethanol has a lower density compared to petrol and a drop in mileage is expected, around 3–5%. With the world moving towards cleaner emissions, there has to be a give-and-take between air quality and mileage, and mileage is the one to give.
That said, one advice is to not let ethanol-mixed petrol sit in the tank for too long, especially when parking for prolonged durations — and if doing so, treat the fuel tank and the lines with specially formulated solutions such as Scottoiler or WD-40’s specialist range.
