Centre permits E100 ethanol fuel in flex-fuel vehicles under amended motor vehicle rules

NEW DELHI, OCT 26 : The Union government has allowed the use of E100 ethanol fuel in vehicles specifically designed to run on flexible fuel, amending the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, through a notification issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

The amendment adds E100 to the emission standards prescribed for flex-fuel vehicles, alongside E85, paving the way for vehicles designed to operate on fuel containing nearly pure ethanol.

The Gazette notification, issued under G.S.R. 911(E), states that “E85 or E100 shall be used in the vehicles designed by the original equipment manufacturers as Flex-fuel vehicles”.

E100 refers to fuel containing 100 per cent ethanol, while E85 contains 85 per cent ethanol. Flex-fuel vehicles are designed to run on different blends of petrol and ethanol.

The change comes as India seeks to expand ethanol use in transport and reduce dependence on conventional petrol. However, the provision applies only to vehicles specifically designed by manufacturers to use these fuels and does not permit E100 to be used in all petrol-powered vehicles.

Under the amended rules, references to E85 in multiple provisions of Rule 115, which governs vehicle emission standards, have been replaced with “E85 or E100”. The government has also raised the gross vehicle weight threshold specified in the relevant emission standards from 3,000 kg to 3,500 kg.

The amendments follow draft rules issued on April 27, 2026, inviting objections and suggestions from stakeholders. The ministry said the government had considered the feedback received on the draft.

The revised rules will come into force from the date of their publication in the Official Gazette. However, the notification does not specify a timeline for the commercial availability of E100 fuel across the country.

-PTI