Ethanol Blending is NOT SOMETHING NEW
It is something Brazil started in 1970, US started in the late 1990s and China started in 2009–2010, all WELL BEFORE INDIA did in 2012–2013
Yet India is as usual the MOST MESSED UP in Ethanol Adoption
Let's compare India with Brazil and China to see WHERE INDIA BUNGLED
Fact 1 : A 50 year Evolution vs a Rushed Experiment
Brazil began their Ethanol strategy Way back in 1970
It was Long term
In 1981 - there were 6% Ethanol Pumps and 94% Pure Gasoline pumps
In 1991 - there were 39% Ethanol Mixed Pumps and 61% Pure Gasoline Pumps
In 2011 - there were 62% Ethanol Mixed Pumps, 24% Pure E100 Pumps and 14% Gasoline Pumps
In 2021 - Gasoline Pumps nearly vanished
Over 51 years from 2% Blending to 27% Blending
India began their experiment in 2014 and by 2025 - went from 1.5% to 20%
Where Brazil took 51 years to evolve from 2% mixing to 27% mixing, India decided to do the same in 11 years from 1.5% to 20%
Fact 2 : Engine Evolution faster than Fuel Evolution in Brazil
Brazilian Government and Engineering organizations developed FLEX DESIGNS of Engines compatible with higher and higher ethanol
However Fuel Blending always followed Engineering Re Design
For instance
1983 - Brazilian specifications of Engines specially to handle 10% Mixing instead of 2%
1998 - 90% Cars compatible with 10% Mixing of Ethanol
1999 - E10 rollout begins
2001 - 90% Petrol Pumps are E10 compatible
Brazil first ensured all cars would handle 10% Ethanol mixing THEN ROLLED OUT THE PETROL PUMPS
Always slow and steady but extremely efficient
Meanwhile India
Fuel Evolution outstripped Engine Evolution by several years
2014 - 1.5% Mixing of Ethanol
2018 - 5% Mixing of Ethanol, 73% Pumps now selling E5 but almost 80% of the Two Wheeler Fleet and 75% Four Wheeler Fleet still not running on Flex Engines
2025 - 20% Mixing of Ethanol. 100% Pumps selling E20 but almost 61% of the Two Wheeler Fleet and 87% of the Four wheeler fleet still run on OLDER ENGINES not yet capable of handling 20% Ethanol
India first pumped out E20 and then decided to ensure cars modified their engines
Ensuring there would be a terrible problems
Fact 3 Legacy Fleet vs Compatible Fleet
Brazil runs 88% Flex Fuel Vehicles capable of handling E27
India has a largely legacy fleet
Only 6% Working Indians own cars and of these only 13% of Indians purchased Cars in the last 5 years (2020–2025)
This means 87% of Cars in India are older than 2020 and thus incapable of properly using E20 and more suitable for E10 or even E5
Someone who can normally handle 2 pegs of whiskey cannot be expected to handle 4–5 pegs of whiskey with the same results
Smaller Engines less capable of handling ethanol and MORE PRICE SENSITIVE
Today 61% Two Wheelers are older than 2020 and their engines were built for E10 or even E5
Fact 4 - Superb Infrastructure vs Shoddy Infrastructure
Brazils Ethanol Infrastructure has been built over 50 years
Decades of Investments
Pipelines
India's Ethanol Infrastructure is like a Illegal Hooch Distribution network😁
- Pipelines non existent
- Depot mixing
- No proper standards yet
- No supply chain
So the problem isn't ETHANOL mixed with Petrol
The Problem as usual is The Rush and Hurry of Indians as usual
Invento develops a Robot in 2016. A Primitive Robot
They don't wait 10–20 years to evolve their product
They instantly launch a success meet , show off this Robot to Ivanka Trump, announce it is ready for commercial sales
They end up nowhere exactly like other Robotics Companies in India
Idea Ok, Implementation Disaster
Unitree starts at the same time
Evolves SLOWLY and quietly
Model by Model
Early Models Laughable, Later models better and better , finally Commercial export worthy models
Today a True Commercial Robotics Manufacturer with large share of exports (Note - Unitree is still pretty basic compared to Agibot, UBTech and Deep Robotics of China)
Slow and Careful Strategy, Implementation perfect, Successful Final Launch
Why do Indians always RUSH into decisions ?
Why not a long term rollout plan ?
Why not a 40 year strategy from E5 to E20
2018 - E5
2028 - Fully E5 Compatible Cars , E15 Mix starts
2043 - Many E15 Compatible Cars , E30 Mix starts
2060 - Fully E30 Compliant Fleet
Because Gadkari has to become rich !!!
Because Adani has to become super rich!!!
Because Modi has to be voted into power and elections need money !!!
The People? Who cares about them
A Handful of Jai Shri Rams would have them obeying and voting in a hurry for the BJP each and every time