Business Desk – On Monday, August 31, the Supreme Court rejected the petition demanding to clearly write the quantity or percentage of ethanol found in petrol on the nozzles of petrol pumps. The court told the petitioner that in this matter he can present his demand before the concerned competent authority. In the petition, concern was also raised about the possible impact of the use of E20 petrol on old vehicles.
There was a demand to tell the compatibility of vehicles
The petitioner had demanded the government to create an official and public online compatibility database. In this, it was suggested to provide information on the basis of vehicle company, model, engine type and year of manufacture of the vehicle. With this, vehicle owners can find out how suitable their vehicle is for the use of E20 or other Ethanol-Blended Fuel.
Expert Committee's suggestion to investigate the effect of E20
The petition also demanded the formation of an expert committee to study the actual impact of E20 petrol. It was suggested to include independent Automobile Engineers along with representatives from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Bureau of Indian Standards i.e. BIS in the proposed committee. The petitioner said that the committee should study the effect of E20 fuel on vehicles of different ages and models running on the roads and its report should be made public.
Assessment of impact on mileage and engine life
In the petition, the committee was also demanded to investigate what effect Ethanol-Blended Petrol has on the mileage, engine life and maintenance cost of vehicles. Along with this, a demand was also made to study the possible impact of fuel usage on the warranty and insurance claims of the vehicle.
Issue of environment and food security also raised
The petition also demanded a study of the environmental impact of E20. This included estimating vehicle emissions and the amount of water used in the production of ethanol. Apart from this, a demand was also made to investigate the possible impact of using grains and sugarcane for ethanol production on food security and animal feed.
Why was there concern about old vehicles?
E20 fuel contains up to 20% ethanol mixed with petrol. Concern was raised in the petition that if older vehicles are not fully compatible with this type of fuel, their mileage, engine components and maintenance may be affected. For this reason, a demand was made to provide information to vehicle owners as to which type of Ethanol-Blended Fuel their vehicle is suitable for.
What did SC say?
At present, instead of issuing any instructions on this demand, the Supreme Court rejected the petition and asked the petitioner to approach the concerned competent authority. That is, the court has not decided through this petition any arrangement regarding writing the ethanol percentage on petrol pumps or creating an official database of compatibility of vehicles.