Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari made a major statement on Tuesday, saying in the long run, vehicles running on fossil fuels like petrol and diesel have no future. His statement hints that the government is focusing on alternative fuel sources amid the supply issues and air pollution.
The Union Minister's statement came in support of alternative fuel options, as he urged the automobile industry to work towards a shift to cleaner fuels. He also asserted that this shift would contribute to improving public transport.
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Gadkari urged vehicle manufacturers to accelerate the transition to alternative and cleaner fuel options such as biofuels, CNG, and LNG. He emphasised that petrol and diesel pose serious problems in terms of imports and environmental impact.
India Should Aim To Achieve 100% Ethanol Blending: Gadkari
Last week, Gadkari said India should aspire to achieve 100 per cent ethanol blending in the near future, as vulnerabilities in oil exports amid the West Asia crisis have made it necessary for the country to become self-reliant in the energy sector.
Gadkari further said the Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency III standards, which will be implemented from April 1 next year, will have little impact on electric and flex-fuel vehicles.
"In the near future, India should aspire to achieve 100 per cent ethanol blending... Today, we are facing an energy crisis due to the war in West Asia, so it is necessary for us to become self-reliant in the energy sector," he said, while addressing the Indian Federation of Green Energy's Green Transport Conclave.
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In 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched petrol blended with 20 per cent ethanol. Currently, Indian vehicles can run on E20 petrol with minor changes to the engine to prevent corrosion and other issues. Countries like Brazil have 100 per cent ethanol blending. Gadkari said India relies on imports to meet 87 per cent of its oil requirement.
"We import fossil fuels worth Rs 22 lakh crore, which is also causing pollution. So we need to work on increasing production of alternative fuel and bio-fuel," he said.
Noting that green hydrogen is the fuel of the future, Gadkari said there is a need to reduce the cost of running a hydrogen fuel station to make it financially viable.
(With Agencies inputs)