India’s Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) added E100 to vehicle certification rules for flex-fuel models, addressing a constraint Maruti Suzuki cited for its Wagon R and putting fuel-supply coordination in focus.
Notification G.S.R. 911(E), dated Oct. 23, added E100 alongside E85 in specified provisions of Rule 115 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989. MoRTH posted a release about the change Oct. 26. The ministry says E85 and E100 are for vehicles their manufacturers designed and certified to use those fuels. It also says an E10 or E20 compatibility rating alone does not show that a vehicle can operate on E85. E100 is predominantly ethanol.
Maruti Suzuki said its June 2026 launch of the Wagon R flex-fuel car highlighted the certification issue. The automaker said the model could use blends spanning E20 to E100, while its approval under the rules then in force covered E85.
The All India Distillers’ Association (AIDA) and Grain Ethanol Manufacturers Association (GEMA) welcomed the amendment, NDTV Profit reported Oct. 30. GEMA President CK Jain told NDTV Profit that automakers should plan vehicle launches against the pace of fuel-supply preparation. AIDA President Vijendra Singh told the outlet that clearer demand estimates would help producers plan supplies and the facilities needed to store, transport and dispense ethanol.
India’s Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoPNG) said in September 2024 that E100 had been launched at more than 400 retail outlets nationwide. That announcement does not establish how many outlets sell E100 now. The ministry has cited reduced dependence on crude-oil imports and benefits to farmers as goals of ethanol use.
A separate E85 rollout began at 48 public-sector oil-company outlets in June 2026. The plan targets about 500 outlets by December 2026 and about 5,000 by December 2027. Those figures concern E85 and do not set a schedule for expanding E100 availability.
