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'20% Cheaper Than E20': India Launches E85 Petrol, Shifting Gears For Green Mobility & Energy Security

The 85 per cent ethanol blend drastically minimises tailpipe emissions, particularly carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and particulate matter

E85 vs Petrol: Why is it cheaper & who can use it?

'E85 fuel to sell at Rs 20/litre discount'

New Delhi: State-run oil companies will sell E85 fuel — a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% petrol — at a discount of Rs 20 per litre to offset the biofuel’s lower energy content, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Friday after inaugurating an E85 dispensing facility at a Delhi petrol pump.The government plans to roll out E85 fuel in phases, with 500 fuel stations targeted by the end of this year and 5,000 by the end of 2027 across India, Puri said.Indian Oil already has a network of 400 fuel stations that can dispense E100 fuel, or pure ethanol with no mix of petrol, across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.Also Read: India to launch E85 fuel today in push for flex fuel mobilityEthanol’s energy content is about one-third lower than that of petrol. To compensate for this, E85 users will receive a Rs 20 per litre discount compared with E20, the regular fuel blend sold across the country that contains 20% ethanol and 80% petrol.The E20 blend will continue to be available at all fuel stations, as most vehicles currently on Indian roads can use blends of up to 20% ethanol.In recent days, Maruti Suzuki and Hero MotoCorp have each launched one vehicle model capable of running on E85 fuel.The simultaneous rollout of compatible vehicles and fuel dispensing infrastructure will help accelerate E85 adoption, Puri said, adding that there was a “pretty compelling case” for shifting to E85 because it would be cheaper, lower emissions and reduce dependence on fuel imports.

BPCL greenfield project in Nellore nears deadline

The national project estimated to cost ₹1 lakh crore is meant to process 9 – 12 million metric tonnes of petrochemical products per annum.

Cashier of a petrol pump booked for using fake number plate on his scooter

Why Some NCR Petrol Pumps Are Turning Away Customers At Night | Explained

Petrol pumps in parts of Noida and Ghaziabad are running out of fuel by night, forcing purchase limits. Here's what's behind the disruption and whether there is a shortage

One vehicle, two fuels: India bets big on flex-fuel revolution - what is it?

Maruti Suzuki's MD highlights flex-fuel vehicles as key to India's goals of cutting oil imports and emissions. These vehicles run on petrol and ethanol blends, supporting farmers and the rural economy. A robust ecosystem, including fuel availability and wider model launches, is crucial for mass adoption, with government backing for biofuel transition and infrastructure expansion.

Haryana's New EV Rule: Will Your Cab, E-Commerce Deliveries Cost More Now?

As per Haryana's new rule, cab aggregators cannot add new petrol and diesel vehicles to their fleets.

Hero MotoCorp shares rise 3% as firm unveils India's first 100cc flex-fuel motorcycles. Check details

Shares of Hero MotoCorp gained 3% to their day’s high of Rs 4,980 on the BSE on Thursday after the company unveiled its first flex-fuel motorcycles, marking its entry into a segment aimed at supporting India's transition towards cleaner and more sustainable mobility solutions.The country's largest two-wheeler manufacturer launched flex-fuel versions of its flagship Splendor+ and HF Deluxe motorcycles, making them India's first flex-fuel motorcycles in the 100cc category. The motorcycles are compatible with ethanol-blended fuels ranging from E20 to E85 and are designed for everyday commuting without compromising on performance or affordability.Hero MotoCorp said the new range is aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of daily transportation while aligning with India's goal of lowering economic carbon intensity by 45% by 2030.The motorcycles were unveiled in New Delhi ahead of World Environment Day in the presence of Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri and Hero MotoCorp Chief Executive Officer Harshavardhan Chitale.Speaking at the event, Gadkari said the introduction of flex-fuel motorcycles in the mass-market segment would support ethanol adoption, help reduce crude oil imports, strengthen farmers' incomes and contribute to the government's vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat.Puri said the launch represents another milestone in India's efforts to build a mobility ecosystem powered by cleaner and domestically produced fuels. He added that wider adoption of such vehicles could improve energy security, lower carbon emissions and reduce dependence on imported crude oil while strengthening the country's biofuels ecosystem.Chitale said the flex-fuel-ready Splendor+ and HF Deluxe were developed at the company's Centre for Innovation & Technology in Jaipur and reflect Hero MotoCorp's focus on future-ready and locally relevant technologies. He added that the motorcycles have minimal-to-no import content and reinforce India's manufacturing capabilities.Hero MotoCorp said the flex-fuel portfolio will be introduced in Delhi and select regions of Maharashtra in July 2026, followed by a nationwide rollout. The HF Deluxe Flex Fuel has been priced at Rs 72,792 (ex-showroom Delhi), while the Splendor+ Flex Fuel will be available at Rs 82,710 (ex-showroom Delhi).(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

Petrol price hikes in India are very minor: Puri

The ₹ warning: Six actions for biz leaders

The Indian rupee is trading around Rs. 95-96 to the dollar in late May 2026, setting fresh record lows. Markets are openly discussing the Rs. 100 threshold. The rupee has weakened in almost every year since 2014 and has lost approximately half its value against the dollar over that period. The end of this currency depreciation is not in sight. The factors that would stop it are not yet visible.The government is acting. State run oil companies have implemented four fuel price hikes in ten days as of May 25, taking petrol in Delhi past Rs. 102 per litre. This is the right and necessary response to the energy cost reality created by the Iran war. Crucially, the Modi government has also done its part on the macroeconomic front, consistently and aggressively reducing the fiscal deficit as a percentage of GDP to maintain structural stability.Yet, the currency pressure persists. The energy price impact has not yet fully reached Indian consumers and supply chains. It is coming.Uday Kotak said it plainly at the CII Annual Business Summit on May 12: "Be ready for tough times rather than waiting for the shock to hit us." He was right.Also read | Manufactured monopoly: How industrial policy is structuring monopolies in IndiaThis is not a time to panic. But it is a time to act. The leaders who move now will have options. Those who wait will not.The Overriding Factor: The Psychology of the PlayersWhy is the currency declining despite strong domestic fiscal discipline? Because exchange rates are not driven by mathematical models alone. The currency decline is highly affected—and accelerated—by the psychology of all players engaged in this endeavor.Currency movements are deeply behavioral. When a currency visualizes a downward trend, psychology shifts from calculation to self-protection and speculation. Every player in the ecosystem operates under this psychological weight:Corporate CFOs and Treasurers: Instead of hedging normally, they rush to cover future dollar liabilities early, hoarding hard currency and inadvertently worsening the scarcity.Foreign Investors: They begin to judge their returns not by the quality of Indian business operations, but by the eroding value of the conversion rate.Importers and Exporters: Importers advance their payments to avoid paying more tomorrow; exporters delay converting their dollar earnings back into rupees, waiting for a "better" rate. This collective psychology creates a self-fulfilling prophecy.Investors, CFOs, and FDI decision makers extrapolate what is happening now into the future. When they see a currency that has lost approximately half its value since 2014 with no clear floor in sight, their psychological pivot alters market realities.Also read | India tightens checks on overseas flows as currency pressure mounts, sources sayThe cascading timeline of Foreign Portfolio Investor (FPI) equity behavior perfectly mirrors this psychological shift from rational evaluation to systemic risk aversion:2024 (The Calculation Phase): Rupee averages Rs. 83-84. FPI flows remain positive (+$12 billion) as investors trade on strong domestic corporate earnings.2025 (The Self-Protection Phase): Rupee slides past Rs. 89. Collective psychology shifts to risk mitigation. FPIs withdraw a record $18.4 billion from Indian equities—the largest annual equity outflow on record.Early 2026 (The Capitulation Phase): Rupee breaks past Rs. 95. Sentiment turns into an outright exit strategy. In the first four months of 2026 alone, outflows have already reached $19.1 billion, completely bypassing the entire previous year's record loss in a fraction of the time.FDI agreements are being signed, but capital is delayed because players are psychologically hesitant to deploy funds into a depreciating asset.The Trap of Hard Currency Debt: A Broken Business Model There is a highly significant and dangerous phenomenon unfolding in India today that requires immediate exposure. For years, a specific class of Indian corporates adopted a regular strategy of borrowing heavily in hard currency (External Commercial Borrowings, or ECBs). Lured by low nominal global interest rates, several of these companies over borrowed, treating cheap dollar debt as a permanent structural advantage.Today, that strategy has become a trap. The compounding effect of a depreciating rupee, skyrocketing hedging costs, and brutal refinancing realities is fundamentally breaking their business models.Consider the mechanics of this crisis:The Hedging Penalty: Leaving dollar debt unhedged is now corporate roulette. However, buying hedges at current rupee levels has become structurally prohibitive. The cost of protection completely wipes out any interest rate advantage.The Refinancing Wall: Billions in foreign debt are coming due. These over-borrowed companies must now refinance their liabilities at a time when the rupee value has materially deteriorated. They are effectively forced to borrow far more rupees just to pay back the same amount of original dollars.The Crushing Cost of Rupee Capital: As these companies try to pivot back to domestic lenders, they face a severe escalation in their rupee cost of capital.The Growth Verdict: When your cost of capital spikes and your cash flows are consumed by servicing legacy dollar debt, future growth stops. Capital expenditure (CapEx) plans are being frozen. These companies can no longer invest in innovation, capacity, or market expansion. Their business model shifts overnight from aggressive value creation to basic survival. Boards must realize that this is not a temporary treasury headache; it is a structural threat to the company’s future viability.India's forex reserves stand at approximately 10 to 11 months of import cover. Substantial, but being actively deployed to defend the currency. Some imports are non-negotiable: oil, critical inputs, components. These will now cost more. That cost passes through every supply chain.Six Actions for Business Leaders1. Protect your cash and liquidity first. This is the most immediate priority. Map your cash position today. Identify every source of liquidity across the next twelve months. Stress-test it at Rs. 100 and beyond. Which receivables are at risk? Which credit lines are rupee-denominated and which are not? Companies that run into a cash crisis during a currency depreciation cycle lose their options entirely. The CFO must own this analysis and present it to the board within days, not weeks.2. Act now on your foreign currency borrowings, hedging, and refinancing. Do not assume the rupee will recover to Rs. 80. Analyse your full foreign currency exposure across the next three years: every loan, every refinancing date, every hedging contract, every procurement price denominated in foreign currency. Hard currency loans now face refinancing at rupee values that have materially deteriorated. Model every scenario at Rs. 100 and beyond. Your CFO, treasury, and procurement team must be aligned on one instruction: do not run into a liquidity crisis. This analysis must happen now, not at the next quarterly review.3. Build a war room. Most companies have begun thinking about war rooms for supply chain disruptions. Expand the mandate. Currency exposure belongs in the same room. Which of your costs are dollar or euro denominated? Which of your revenues are rupee denominated? Where is the mismatch? What is your break-even exchange rate? If you do not have clear answers today, you are exposed. The war room is not a committee. It is a real-time decision environment with live data, a clear owner, and the authority to act.4. Use the currency depreciation advantage: double your export salesforce. A weaker rupee makes Indian exports more competitive. This window will not stay open indefinitely. Double the salesforce in your export markets now. Use this period to upgrade quality, improve service delivery, and build customer relationships that will last beyond the currency advantage. Indian exporters who invest in capability during this period will emerge stronger regardless of what the rupee does next. Those who simply ride the price advantage without building the underlying business will lose when conditions change.5. Watch your stock and your sector. Banks and financial institutions should already be on high alert. Companies with large foreign currency exposure will see pressure on their financials. Some stock prices are already reflecting this. Go through your sector company by company. Identify who is most exposed. If you are an investor or a lender, this analysis is not optional. The combination of currency depreciation, rising oil prices, and FPI outflows creates a compounding pressure that will surface in earnings before it surfaces in headlines.6. Cut costs aggressively. AI will help. There has never been more urgency to reduce costs than now. And there has never been a better tool to do it. AI can cut most operational costs by as much as 30% across functions: procurement, finance, customer service, logistics, and compliance. McKinsey data confirms companies adopting AI and automation reduce operational costs by 20 to 30 percent. This is not a future opportunity. It is a present imperative. Every rupee of cost removed through AI is a rupee that does not need to be recovered through revenue in a deteriorating currency environment. Start now with your highest-cost functions.The CFO as CaptainCurrency risk is a cash flow risk. Every function that touches foreign currency—procurement, treasury, sales, capex planning— must now report into a single coordinating authority. That authority is the CFO. This is not about hierarchy. It is about clarity. In a currency crisis, fragmented decision-making is as dangerous as wrong decision making. One captain. One consolidated view. Weekly reviews minimum.The Bigger PictureThis currency depreciation is a structural signal, not a cyclical one. India's economy must move from a cheap labour advantage to genuine global value creation.The companies that will survive and thrive are those building products and services that command premium prices in global markets. The rupee's weakness is a reminder that competing on cost alone has limits.The recently concluded trade agreements are a genuine opportunity. Execute them with full force. Build the export pipelines. Add the sales capacity.The businesses that move now, with discipline and clarity, will manage market psychology, navigate the debt trap, and define the next chapter of Indian industry.The shock is coming. Prepare before it arrives.Ram Charan is the author of China’s 90% model. It is restricting India’s industrial progress. Former Director of Hindalco and Muyuan (China).

Petroleum dealers threaten to go on strike if action is not taken on those who damaged Thoothukudi fuel outlet

Check petrol, diesel prices in your city today

Petrol, diesel prices on June 3: Check fuel cost in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and other cities today

Fuel prices were unchanged today on Wednesday, 3 June. The last fuel price hike was on Monday, 25 May, when oil marketing companies (OMCs) hiked both petrol and diesel prices by more than ₹2.50 per litre.

Can Car With 45-Litre Tank Be Filled With 52-Litre Of Petrol? UP Man Alleges Fuel Pump Scam

Kanpur petrol pump under probe after Charan Singh alleges 52 litres were billed in a Volkswagen Virtus with a 45-litre tank, sparking fraud and delay claims.

LPG consumption declined 19% in May, petrol-diesel increased

Consumption of diesel and petrol in May rose 0.8% and 2.8% respectively from the comparable period last year.

45-litre tank, 52L petrol pumped: Kanpur car owner's shocking allegations on fuel pump

A viral video shows a Kanpur car owner alleging a petrol pump overcharged him by billing 52 litres of fuel for his 45-litre tank.

India's CPI inflation expected to rise to 4.8%

New Delhi: India's CPI inflation is expected to rise by around 70 bps to 4.8 per cent with crude oil averaging USD 90/bbl in FY27, according to a report by 360 ONE Capital. This projection comes as the ongoing conflict in West Asia and a downgraded domestic monsoon forecast introduce fresh challenges to India's macroeconomic trajectory.The report noted that the conflict in West Asia and the resulting energy supply disruptions warrant a reassessment of key macroeconomic assumptions. "Our revised base case assumes de-escalation by mid-June, with crude oil averaging USD 90/bbl in FY27. Under this scenario, CPI inflation is expected to rise by around 70 bps to 4.8% (from 4.1%), while GDP growth moderates to 6.3% (from 6.7%). The fiscal deficit is projected to widen to 4.6% of GDP (from 4.4%), and the current account deficit to 2.1% of GDP (from 1.3%)," the report stated.Also read: India meets FY26 fiscal deficit goal at 4.4% of GDP despite revenue and global pressuresThe report noted that India's economic momentum remains stable due to domestic consumption and public spending, but geopolitical frictions pose tangible downside risks. Supply routes through the Strait of Hormuz are particularly vital, as India sources nearly 50 per cent of its LPG and around 30 per cent of its natural gas requirements through this route.Even though the "net petroleum import bill has declined from 5.5% of GDP in FY14 to around 3.0% in FY25, the economy remains exposed to a prolonged disruption in energy supplies."On the monetary front, global financial conditions continue to tighten as central banks react to persistent inflationary impulses. While the Reserve Bank of India is expected to keep policy rates unchanged in the upcoming meeting, domestic bond yields face upward pressure from a widening fiscal deficit and higher energy costs.Also read: Manufacturing activity at 3-month high in May despite cost woesThe report mentioned that the impact on macroeconomic variables is likely to be non-linear, implying significantly larger downside risks if the conflict persists. "A further USD 10/bbl increase in crude prices above our base assumption could push inflation to 5.6% (assuming a partial pass-through of around 5% to retail fuel prices), lower GDP growth by an additional 40 bps to 5.9%, widen the current account deficit to 2.5% GDP, and increase the fiscal deficit to 4.8% of GDP," the report added.Compounding these external geopolitical risks, the domestic agricultural outlook faces unexpected pressure. In its Second Long Range Forecast, the IMD downgraded the Southwest Monsoon 2026 forecast to 90 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA) from 92 per cent estimated in April.This development represents the weakest monsoon outlook since 2015, which raises immediate concerns over overall agricultural output and rural demand.In the global perspective, the IMF has lowered its 2026 global growth forecast by 20 bps, citing risks from the Middle East conflict through higher commodity prices, inflation, and tighter financial conditions.The report stated that under the IMF's reference scenario, "global growth is projected at 3.1% in 2026 and 3.2% in 2027, below both the recent 3.4% pace and the historical average of 3.7%. In adverse scenarios, growth could slow to 2.5% or even 2.0%, accompanied by significantly higher inflation, with emerging markets expected to be disproportionately affected."

Petrol, Diesel price on 2 June: Check fuel rates in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi, Kolkata today

Fuel prices remained largely unchanged on Tuesday, 2 June. The last fuel price hike was on Monday, 25 May, when oil marketing companies (OMCs) increased both petrol and diesel prices by over ₹2.50 per litre.

'AC-on, AC-off' mileage tests mandatory for new cars from next April

Starting next April, carmakers must test new vehicle mileage with and without air conditioning, a move by the government to offer consumers more realistic fuel efficiency figures. This transparency aims to empower buyers' decisions. Existing models will receive an extended compliance period. The new norms apply to both petrol, diesel, and electric vehicles, reflecting India's distinct driving conditions.