GREATER NOIDA:  Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday, urged automakers to stop developing green vehicle prototypes and begin selling them. The time has come for biofuels and other clean energy technologies, he said 

The Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas stated in his speech at a symposium held here at the Auto Expo 2023 that India has also advanced the 20% ethanol blend target to 2024–2025 from 2030 and that as a pilot E20 will be available in many pumps soon, ahead of the earlier schedule of April this year.

The minister earlier opened the "Ethanol Pavilion" at the expo, where major two-wheeler manufacturers TVS, Hero MotoCorp, Bajaj Auto, Honda Motorcycle, Yamaha, and Suzuki Motorcycle are showcasing their functional flex-fuel prototypes. Other passenger vehicle manufacturers at the expo include Maruti Suzuki and Toyota Kirloskar Motor. These cars can run on a variety of ethanol mixes that range from 20% to 85%.

I want to congratulate you and express my happiness because the moment has come for biofuels and all other forms of sustainable energy, he said. In India, Puri said, adding, "hundreds and thousands of people will follow when we accomplish something," in addition to economies of scale.

Therefore, he said, "whether it's hybrid models or electric vehicles, I want to tell both the domestic manufacturers and (foreign) manufacturers that I think the moment has come, please move from the stage of the prototypes, and start releasing the models in the market."

The minister declared that he is "100% convinced" that they will be successful, not just as an economic plan for the manufacturers but also for India's environmentally friendly transition to fully green sustainable fuel.

He said that E10 fuel is now readily available in the majority of the nation and that the government is taking steps to increase the level of blending.

"As far as E20 is concerned, the deployment will happen very soon...We are now presenting it to E20 three months early. Earlier, it was slated to happen in April 2023. We're starting several months in advance," Puri added, noting that many pumps will have the fuel used as a pilot.

A memorandum of agreement for a clean energy collaboration targeted at knowledge transfer on ethanol technology was also inked at the conference by the US Grains Council and Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers.

MG unveils the Hector and Hector Plus SUVs in 2023

Bookings for the 2023 Hyundai Grand i10 NIOS are now available

India beating the Global auto leaders and securing 3rd position