India drops excise duty on E22 to E30 gasoline blends
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India just dropped excise duty on gasoline mixed with 22% to 30% ethanol (like E22, E25, E27, and E30).
Announced Thursday, this move is all about boosting greener fuel and cutting back on expensive oil imports.
It also follows new standards for these blends set by the Bureau of Indian Standards.
India targets 20% ethanol blend 2025-26
This fits right into India's big push for biofuels, aiming for 20% ethanol in gasoline by 2025-26 (way ahead of the old 2030 goal).
Ethanol blending has already jumped from 10% in mid-2022 to nearly 18% by early 2025.
Plus, India recently rolled out E85 fuel for flex-fuel vehicles, which is sold at about ₹20 per liter below the price of E20 fuel and could be a win for both the environment and local sugarcane farmers.