Emails reveal Indian carmakers' fuel contamination worries before public retreat

Per Dawn, India's major automakers have privately expressed serious concerns about the government's new E20 fuel—a twenty percent ethanol blend meant to reduce pollution—even while publicly supporting its rollout. Industry testing across twenty-one Indian states found chloride contamination reaching five hundred seventy parts per million, far above the government's limit of three parts per million. Moisture levels were equally problematic. When the auto industry's lobby sent a formal complaint to the government in late July, it withdrew the letter within days after public and official pushback. The three companies involved—Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors, and Mahindra—represent sixty-seven percent of India's car market, and hundreds of drivers have already complained about reduced fuel efficiency and increased engine wear since E20 became the only petrol option in April.

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton