E20 vs XP100 vs Pure De-Ethanolized Petrol Mileage Test On Honda CB125 And Aprilia SR150: BIG Difference In Mileage [Video]

The ethanol blended fuel sold via petrol pumps across the nation is the topic of discussion on the internet for the last couple of weeks. Even the government has recently confirmed that there is a drop in fuel efficiency in vehicles using E20 fuel when compared to E10 and E0 fuel. They also confirmed that some plastic parts related to the fuel system will require replacement in the long run. Protests related to the fuel options have been circulating online, and amid these concerns, we have come across a couple of videos where people are actually comparing the difference in fuel economy in their vehicles using E20, XP100, and pure petrol in real-world conditions.

The first video is by Rider Veerji on his YouTube channel. He chooses a Honda CB125 commuter motorcycle for this experiment. He managed to find an Indian Oil pump in his locality where he could get XP100 fuel. He filled up the tank with XP100 and came back to his location, emptied the tank completely, and then started the test.

He already had E20 fuel with him, and for this test, he decided to choose 500 ml each of E20 and XP100 fuel to understand the difference in performance and fuel efficiency. He rode the bike first on E20 fuel. He reset the trip meter and started riding the bike. He chose a service road and ensured that he was not riding above 60 kmph.

He rode the bike through the empty stretch for some time before it started to show signs of low fuel. It started jerking and finally came to a stop. By then, he had covered 31.2 km on 500 ml of fuel. After this, he poured the other 500 ml of XP100 fuel into the tank and started riding. He chose the same route as before, and he also maintained the same speed. He rode the bike through the same stretch, and finally, when he ran out of fuel, his bike had done 35.8 km on 500 ml of XP100. He then calculated and realised that on E20 fuel, his bike was offering an efficiency of 62.4 kmpl, while XP100 was offering 71.6 kmpl. This was a difference of 9.2 km, and it showed a mileage drop of 12.9 percent.

The second video has been shared by Auto Roaming on his YouTube channel. In this video, the vlogger decided to ride his Aprilia 150 scooter on pure petrol and E20 fuel. He said that XP100 is not just ethanol-free, but it also comes with specialized detergent and combustion-enhancing additives.

It is also a higher-octane fuel than regular petrol. So he decided to take things into his own hands and separate ethanol from petrol at home. He measured 400 ml of E20 fuel and rode the scooter on the road in front of his house for 17.1 km before it came to a stop.

He then poured in the pure petrol, which he separated at home using the same de-ethanolising method that is popular on the internet. He poured 400 ml of the so-called pure petrol that he separated into the Aprilia and rode through the same route. Both times, he maintained a speed of 70-80 kmph for consistency in the results.

After returning from the trip, he noted the distance covered and found that the Aprilia 150 on E20 fuel offered a fuel efficiency of 42.75 kmpl. The same scooter on E0 or pure petrol returned 49.25 kmpl. The difference in this case was 6.5 kmpl, and that translates into a fuel efficiency drop of 13.2 percent.

So while the government is claiming that there would only be a marginal drop, the videos and the real-world mileage tests reveal a different story. Because of E20 fuel, customers will have to visit petrol pumps more often as their vehicles are now consuming more fuel to travel the same distance.