The Centre will increase the coverage and availability of E10 petrol blended fuel in the country from 80 per cent to 100 per cent by next year, a senior official said on Wednesday.
Speaking at the 61st SIAM Annual Convention, Petroleum & Natural Gas Secretary, Tarun Kapoor, said that more than 80 per cent of petrol currently sold in India is blended with 10 per cent ethanol (E10).
Kapoor further said that the demand for petrol has gone up by 4-5 per cent from the pre-Covid levels. However, the consumption of diesel has slid, he pointed out.
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Besides, he urged the industry to work towards the manufacturing of 'flexible fuel vehicles' (FFVs).
In technical parlance, FFVs are capable of running on 100 per cent ethanol and gasoline.
Additionally, he informed the convention that to support the EV infrastructure in India, the Centre is targeting to install charging stations at the retail outlets.
The Centre plans to set up EV chargers in at least 50,000 out of 75,000 fuel stations in the next 2-3 years, the official informed.
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