India begins rollout of E85 fuel to boost ethanol blending

NEW DELHI, June 6 (Xinhua) -- India on Friday rolled out E85 fuel in a boost to ethanol blending.

Hardeep Singh Puri, the federal petroleum and natural gas minister, inaugurated the country's first E85 fuel dispensing station in New Delhi at Indian Oil's Pusa Road outlet, marking the beginning of the commercial rollout of the high-ethanol fuel.

Ethanol blending has increased from 1.53 percent in 2014 to 20 percent today, with the target achieved five years ahead of schedule, the official said.

According to the ministry, E85 is a high-ethanol blended fuel comprising 80-85 percent ethanol and 14-19 percent petrol, specifically designed for use in flex-fuel vehicles.

The initiative, as per the ministry, aims to facilitate the adoption of flex-fuel vehicles, which are capable of operating on ethanol blends from E20 to E100, without restricting consumers to a single blend. Enditem