50-100 E85 Fuel Stations Planned Across Delhi-Mumbai-Pune-Nagpur Corridor
E85 station rollout aims to boost ethanol fuel adoption.
India will begin rolling out between 50 and 100 E85 fuel dispensing stations across the National Capital Region, Mumbai, Pune and the Nagpur corridor as part of a broader strategy to promote flex-fuel vehicles and reduce dependence on conventional fossil fuels. The announcement was made by Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri during the launch of the Maruti Suzuki WagonR Flex Fuel in New Delhi on Thursday.
Puri said E85, a fuel blend containing up to 85 per cent ethanol, has been identified as the mono-fuel standard for flex-fuel vehicles under Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) specifications. He noted that the government is planning a phased rollout of flex-fuel vehicles across states and described E85 as one of the cleanest fuel alternatives available. The initiative marks an expansion of India's flex-fuel ecosystem, which has already moved beyond two-wheelers to include passenger vehicles.
According to the minister, the number of E85 dispensing stations is expected to increase to 500 by December 2026 and further expand to 5,000 outlets across major cities by the end of 2027. The government believes the wider adoption of flex-fuel technology could significantly strengthen the country's ethanol economy while supporting environmental and energy-security objectives.
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Puri said that if half of all new two-wheeler and four-wheeler sales transition to flex-fuel technology, India could generate an additional demand of 311.8 crore litres of ethanol. Such a shift could also provide an estimated Rs 12,403 crore in additional income for farmers and reduce carbon emissions by approximately 66.4 lakh metric tonnes, creating both economic and environmental benefits.
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, who attended the event, expressed confidence that more automobile manufacturers would enter the flex-fuel segment in the coming years. The government's push for E85 comes amid higher fuel prices linked to elevated global crude oil costs. Puri said oil marketing companies continue to face significant financial pressure, with losses estimated at around Rs 550 crore per day, but added that maintaining affordable fuel prices remains a priority despite the challenges posed by volatile international energy markets.
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