Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday pitched hydrogen as India's next fuel for transport after ethanol-blended fuel.
Speaking at the Navbharat Conclave, Gadkari claimed that he personally drives a hydrogen vehicle, and said that trucks and buses running on the fuel are set to hit Indian roads soon.
"I drive electric, flex-fuel and hydrogen vehicles; I have all three at home right now," he said. "I have all three cars in my house. Those who have understood, come to my house after the program, and take a ride in all three cars."
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Concerns about E20 fuel include potential higher maintenance costs, reduced fuel efficiency, and engine corrosion, especially for vehicles that are only compatible with E10 fuel.
Kejriwal demanded written assurances to clarify that E20 fuel will not damage engines or reduce mileage, citing discrepancies between automakers' public statements and the guidance in their vehicle manuals.
The Indian government has dismissed concerns as misrepresentations, asserting that thorough testing has ensured E20 fuel's compatibility with vehicles designed for E10.
The ARAI report indicates that while E20 fuel can negatively affect rubber-fuel system components in E10-compatible vehicles, it does not adversely impact metallic components.
Vehicle owners should be cautious if their vehicles are not E20 compliant, as there may be risks of reduced performance or damage, especially for older models designed for lower ethanol blends.
"Now, hydrogen trucks are arriving. I recently launched Tata's hydrogen-powered trucks--one running on a hydrogen fuel cell and another new one that uses an internal combustion (IC) engine modified to run on hydrogen," he said.
Gadkari's comments come at a time when public frustration is rising with ethanol-blended fuel, but the government has yet to accept or discuss the effect of E20 petrol on certain cars.
On Sunday motorists took to the streets in Delhi seeking an option between regular diesel and petrol and E20 fuel.
Motorists said that the shift to E20 fuel would mean higher maintenance bills, worse fuel efficiency, as well as engine corrosion, Bloomberg reported.
“A car is the second-most expensive thing that the middle class buys,” political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla, who led the protests in Delhi, told reporters. “The government has imposed E20 fuel on the citizens who have vehicles compatible with E10 fuel, and they are now facing the consequences.”
Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday rejected such allegations and instead claimed that reports of customer problems with E20 fuel are a "misrepresentation". Puri stressed that the move to a higher E25 blend will only happen after tests are completed and discussed with automakers.
"The automobile manufacturers, as well as the people who service these vehicles, all say there is no difficulty. Why this sudden interest?" he said, as per ANI. "It is a misrepresentation and I don't want to use stronger words."
"We have been using E15 for the last three and a half years. We have been on E20 since April of last year. From April 2025 to April 2026, it has already been one year, and we are now another five months beyond that," he also said.
He assured that the government will not rush with the E25 implementation: “If someone is suggesting that we are rushing to introduce E25, that is incorrect. We have made it clear that tests are underway. Those tests will take time. Once the reports are available, we will evaluate them and then consult all stakeholders, including automobile manufacturers.”
On Wednesday, Kejriwal did sent out his letter to the three companies. Check out the contents of the letter right here:
At the same event, Gadkari also rejected the idea of E20 petrol harming vehicles. He dared critics to identify a single car that has faced such issues. He claimed that such allegations are being made as part of a 'paid campaign'.
"There is no case of any car facing issues due to E20 petrol. Has there been any car in the country that faced issues due to the use of E20 petrol? Just name one."
"...false narratives are being spread about the roll-out of higher ethanol-blended petrol. These are paid campaigns," he said.
An unpublished report by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) has found that using E20 fuel on vehicles that are E10-compatible can cause rubber-fuel system components to deteriotate, as per a report by Times of India.
The ARAI report has also claimed that this can cause components like gaskets, seals, hoses, and O-rings to be affected negatively.
The study also said that E20 fuel does not adversely impact metallic components and emissions also remain within prescribed limits.
“We haven’t seen any glaring issues on social media that warrants a rethink of the government’s biofuel blending program,” said Puneet Anand, associate vice president at Hyundai Motor India, as per a Bloomberg report.
Rahul Bharti, executive director at Maruti Suzuki India, claimed that E20 fuel is compatible with E10-certified vehicles as well.
Toyota Kirloskar Motor's India head Vikram Gulati said that a case that went viral online involving a Toyota Innova Hycross allegedly suffering damages due to E20 petrol was later found out to be due to the use of contaminated fuel instead of ethanol blending.
Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said that he would be writing to three automakers to seek written assurances from them saying that the use of E20 fuel does not damage engines or reduce mileage.
In a press conference on Tuesday, the former Delhi chief minister named Suzuki, Toyota Kirloskar and Hero MotoCorp, claiming that their public statements contradict the guidance printed on their own vehicle manuals.
"I will write letters to all of them that they have lied. I will tell them that your owner manual says one thing, but you are saying something else. Give in writing that if the mileage of your vehicle drops by more than 10 per cent, will you compensate the customer," Kejriwal said, as per PTI.
"If using E20 ethanol in your vehicle damages the vehicle or causes wear and tear, will you compensate for the replacement of those components?" Kejriwal added.
"There are 22 crore motorcycles in India that are not E20 compliant. They cannot use E20. There are eight crore cars that are not E20 compliant. Because of the government's insistence, 30 crore vehicles are at risk; 31 crore vehicles could become scrap," the AAP chief said.
