India Approves Vehicles That Run On Pure Ethanol And Biodiesel

Car makers in India can now build and sell vehicles that run entirely on pure ethanol and pure biodiesel. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways changed the motor vehicle rules to make this possible.

Background

Past rules only allowed testing and approval for vehicles that used up to an eighty-five percent ethanol blend, known as E85. The new changes give car companies the legal permission they need to sell the flex-fuel prototypes that they have spent a long time testing.

Context

Flex-fuel vehicles are designed to run on petrol mixed with varying amounts of alcohol or alternative fuels like ethanol. Shifting toward high ethanol blends helps reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels and lowers vehicle emissions.