India to launch E85 fuel on World Environment Day
About 500 petrol pumps across Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur will dispense E85, a fuel blend containing 85% ethanol and 15% petrol, by the end of 2026.
- Jun 4, 2026,
- Updated Jun 4, 2026 7:42 PM IST
Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri will launch E85 fuel on World Environment Day. E85 is a fuel blend that contains 85% ethanol and 15% petrol.
The Union minister will launch E85 fuel at an Indian Oil petrol pump located on Pusa Road, Delhi.
About 500 petrol pumps across Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur will dispense E85, a fuel blend containing 85% ethanol and 15% petrol, by the end of 2026, Puri said at the launch of Maruti Suzuki’s maiden flex-fuel car, WagonR.
“In the beginning, we will have about 50-100 dispensing station outlets in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur corridor. These will expand to 500 by December this year, and approximately, God willing, to 5,000 outlets across major cities by end of next year,” Puri said.
“Since E85 has been identified as a monofuel standard for flex-fuel vehicles under BIS specifications, alongside a phase national roll out of FFVs (flex-fuel vehicles) across the state, across the vehicle segment, I think success is ensured,” the minister said.
This Union minister had earlier this week said that E85 fuel will be priced significantly below conventional petrol, creating a strong economic case for the adoption of flex-fuel vehicles in India.
Speaking at the launch of Hero MotoCorp's flex-fuel variants of the Splendor Plus and HF Deluxe motorcycles on Wednesday, Puri said affordable fuel pricing would be critical to driving consumer acceptance of the technology.
"Consumer economics is the most important factor," he said, adding that studies suggest owners of flex-fuel vehicles can achieve cost parity with conventional vehicles within a short period if E85 fuel remains cheaper than E20 and regular petrol.
The move is expected to support India's efforts to reduce dependence on imported crude oil while creating additional demand for domestically produced ethanol.
India currently imports nearly 89% of its crude oil requirements, making the economy vulnerable to global energy price shocks and geopolitical disruptions. Puri noted that the country has already raised ethanol blending in petrol from 1.5% in 2014 to 20%, resulting in foreign exchange savings of Rs 1.84 lakh crore through the substitution of 302 lakh metric tonnes of crude oil. “If 50% of the new two wheelers and four wheelers are flex fuel compliant, ethanol demand for fuel will increase by 400 crore litres from existing 1,100 crore litres,” Puri said.
Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri will launch E85 fuel on World Environment Day. E85 is a fuel blend that contains 85% ethanol and 15% petrol.
The Union minister will launch E85 fuel at an Indian Oil petrol pump located on Pusa Road, Delhi.
About 500 petrol pumps across Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur will dispense E85, a fuel blend containing 85% ethanol and 15% petrol, by the end of 2026, Puri said at the launch of Maruti Suzuki’s maiden flex-fuel car, WagonR.
“In the beginning, we will have about 50-100 dispensing station outlets in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur corridor. These will expand to 500 by December this year, and approximately, God willing, to 5,000 outlets across major cities by end of next year,” Puri said.
“Since E85 has been identified as a monofuel standard for flex-fuel vehicles under BIS specifications, alongside a phase national roll out of FFVs (flex-fuel vehicles) across the state, across the vehicle segment, I think success is ensured,” the minister said.
This Union minister had earlier this week said that E85 fuel will be priced significantly below conventional petrol, creating a strong economic case for the adoption of flex-fuel vehicles in India.
Speaking at the launch of Hero MotoCorp's flex-fuel variants of the Splendor Plus and HF Deluxe motorcycles on Wednesday, Puri said affordable fuel pricing would be critical to driving consumer acceptance of the technology.
"Consumer economics is the most important factor," he said, adding that studies suggest owners of flex-fuel vehicles can achieve cost parity with conventional vehicles within a short period if E85 fuel remains cheaper than E20 and regular petrol.
The move is expected to support India's efforts to reduce dependence on imported crude oil while creating additional demand for domestically produced ethanol.
India currently imports nearly 89% of its crude oil requirements, making the economy vulnerable to global energy price shocks and geopolitical disruptions. Puri noted that the country has already raised ethanol blending in petrol from 1.5% in 2014 to 20%, resulting in foreign exchange savings of Rs 1.84 lakh crore through the substitution of 302 lakh metric tonnes of crude oil. “If 50% of the new two wheelers and four wheelers are flex fuel compliant, ethanol demand for fuel will increase by 400 crore litres from existing 1,100 crore litres,” Puri said.