Mumbai: At a time when the controversy over ethanol-blended petrol is gaining ground across the country, Union minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari.
Responding to a journalist who claimed her car’s mileage in city driving had gone down after switching to government-mandated E20 petrol, Gadkari said the average car owner can’t measure their vehicle’s fuel efficiency, and should rely on tests conducted by authorised dealers.
During an interview with ABP News, when the journalist pointed out that mileage in her E-20 compliant 2023-model car had fallen from 11 km per litre to 7 km per litre recently, Gadkari questioned how she had calculated the figure.
“I checked it in my car, just as everyone does,” she replied.
Gadkari then lectured her that fuel-efficiency cannot be accurately measured by noting dashboard mileage display.
“You and I can’t check the mileage. A car’s mileage can only be checked using a company-authorised dealer’s machine,” said Gadkari, who has taken pains to defend the ethanol-blending programme.
Gadkari’s comment comes just days after the Central government defended its policy but at the same time acknowledged that E20 petrol can reduce fuel economy by 3 to 5% in some vehicles.
As a storm of protests erupted against the government’s ethanol programme, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas recently released a document to address criticism of the Ethanol Blended Petrol Programme.
“It is true that in some vehicles there may be a 3-5% reduction in fuel economy. But mileage is only one parameter,” the ministry said.
Even as the government mandated nationwide sale of E20 petrol from April 1 to increase dependence on imported crude oil and cut emissions, car owners have been demanding a rethink as they reported a drop in mileage, while some manufacturers have flagged the performance of ethanol-blended fuel in older vehicles.
