TL;DR
India's auto industry body, SIAM, has withdrawn its warning about vehicle damage from ethanol-blended fuel, stating the data needs further authentication, amidst ongoing consumer concerns over E20 fuel quality.
India's Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) has withdrawn its initial warning to the petroleum ministry regarding potential damage to vehicle parts caused by contaminated ethanol-blended fuel. The industry body stated that the figures it had previously furnished to the government required further authentication. This reversal came swiftly after media reports on SIAM's warning sparked public uproar and prompted a clarification from the petroleum ministry.
While SIAM withdrew its specific communication, it did not deny the underlying concerns about contamination. The group indicated plans to collect more nationwide data to substantiate the claims. Earlier reports had highlighted issues such as corrosion, wear, moisture-related breakdowns, and reduced mileage, particularly in car parts directly in contact with the E20 ethanol-blended fuel or engine emissions.
The dispute underscores ongoing consumer frustration regarding India's mandatory E20 rollout. The petroleum ministry had previously asserted that fuel quality is regularly monitored by oil marketing companies, with only two cases of chloride contamination found in a sample of 2,000 tests. SIAM's move to revise its data suggests a push for more rigorous quality checks against contamination to ensure the reliability of ethanol-blended fuels.
