Many types of rumors and misleading claims regarding E20 petrol are becoming increasingly viral on social media across the country. Some are saying that E20 petrol spoils the engine, while others are claiming that it reduces the mileage of the vehicle a lot. Some people say that thousands of liters of water is wasted in making E20 or it voids the warranty of the vehicle.
Now on all these claims the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas by Has responded in detail and made it clear that most of these claims are completely false or misleading.
Fact: It is being claimed on social media that 10,000 liters of water is used to make one liter of ethanol. According to the government, this figure is completely misleading. To make one liter of ethanol in an ethanol plant, only 3 to 5 liters of processed water is required. Modern distilleries use Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) technology, which reuses water. Apart from this, the use of maize in ethanol production is increasing rapidly, which requires much less water as compared to paddy.
Truth- Another big claim is that E20 is a new and risky experiment being done in India. The government has also declared this to be completely wrong. Ethanol has been in use in the world for more than 100 years. E10 is the common fuel in America and E15 and E85 are also used there. E27 is already implemented in Brazil and there are preparations to increase it by about 35 percent. Ethanol blended fuel is also being used in Canada, Japan, Thailand and many European countries.
Fact: Regarding E20, it is also said that the mileage of the vehicle reduces significantly. The government says that this claim is also misleading. In long tests conducted by ARAI, IOCL, IIP Dehradun and SIAM, cars were driven for 40,000 kilometers and two-wheelers for 20,000 kilometers. No major negative impact on mileage was found in these tests. Experts say that mileage does not depend only on fuel, but many things like driving style, tire pressure, servicing, engine oil and air filter also affect it.
Fact: The government said that ARAI had conducted a study on this topic years ago. The investigation found no serious problems with the engine, metal and plastic parts. Only in some older vehicles may the rubber seals or gaskets need to be replaced a little earlier than usual. Apart from this, emissions of pollutants like carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbons were also found to be reduced due to the use of E20.
Fact: This rumor also spread on social media that using E20 petrol will void the vehicle's warranty and insurance. The government has declared this to be completely wrong. Vehicle manufacturing companies and insurance companies have clearly stated that using E20 petrol will not affect the warranty or insurance of the vehicle. SIAM and PIB Fact Check have also denied this claim.
Fact: Due to the presence of sugar in E20 petrol, ants and bees come to the petrol tank. BPCL has also described these claims as devoid of scientific basis. According to the company, the ethanol used in fuel is completely processed and does not contain any kind of sugar. Besides, such substances are added to it which keep insects away.
Fact: In some videos it was also shown that sugarcane juice was being mixed directly into petrol. The government has termed such videos as completely fake. According to the government, the ethanol used in fuel is prepared through modern industrial process and is mixed in petrol only after all quality checks.
The government also clarified that E20 petrol does not leach water into the fuel tank of the vehicle. Modern vehicles and petrol pumps have such technology and safety systems that prevent water from entering the tank.
Fact: Apart from this, the government also rejected the claim that E20 was described as an “experiment” in the Supreme Court. The Attorney General's Office clarified that no such statement was made in court and appealed to the media to report the judicial proceedings accurately.
Truth- The government says that modern ethanol plants follow environmental regulations and use technologies like Zero Liquid Discharge. More than Rs 1.60 lakh crore has been paid to the farmers. 930 lakh metric tons of CO₂ emissions have been reduced and more than 310 lakh metric tons of crude oil has been saved.
Ethanol blending program in India was started in 2001. First 5% ethanol mixture was tested and later it was extended to many states. In the National Biofuel Policy of 2009, a target of 20% ethanol blending was set. After this, the government took many steps to increase new policies, investment and production. The result was that the country's ethanol production capacity increased from 38 crore liters in 2013-14 to 2,000 crore liters per year. In December 2025, India achieved the target of 20% ethanol blending ahead of schedule. According to the government, so far more than Rs 1.90 lakh crore of foreign exchange has been saved from this program.
