New Delhi, Sept 30 (PTI) The Indian Sugar & Bio-energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA) on Wednesday said the government’s CAFE III fuel efficiency norms for M1 category vehicles will provide an important regulatory push for the next phase of India’s ethanol journey.
The Power Ministry on Wednesday notified the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE III) norms for M1 category vehicles.
“ISMA welcomes the notification of the CAFE III norms by the Ministry of Power and BEE, which further strengthens the policy ecosystem for cleaner and more energy-secure mobility,” ISMA Director General Deepak Ballani said in a statement.
The recognition of ethanol-based mobility through an 8 per cent Carbon Neutrality Factor (CNF) for E20–E30 vehicles and 22.3 per cent CNF for Flex
Fuel Ethanol Vehicles, along with Volume Derogation Factors of 1.1 for FFVs and 2.5 for FFV hybrids, is an important step towards encouraging greater fuel and technology choice in India.
With E20 successfully achieved, E85 infrastructure being rolled out and commercially available FFVs entering the market, CAFE III provides an important regulatory push for the next phase of India’s ethanol journey.
These measures can help create additional avenues for utilising India’s growing ethanol capacity while reducing fossil-fuel dependence, strengthening energy security and resilience and advancing India’s journey towards a more self-reliant and low-carbon mobility sector.
ISMA appreciates the government’s continued support for scaling up ethanol-based clean mobility in India.
The industry body believes that recognising the carbon benefits of ethanol within vehicle efficiency regulations complements India’s broader push towards the development and deployment of FFVs and flex-fuel hybrid technologies.
The notification also defines a Flex Fuel Ethanol Vehicle as one capable of operating on blends of gasoline and ethanol containing up to 85 per cent ethanol (E85) or 100 per cent ethanol (E100).
The final CAFE III framework represents an important step towards bringing together vehicle efficiency, alternative fuels and multiple clean-mobility technologies within India’s transport decarbonisation strategy.
For the sugar and bio-energy sector, the continued recognition of ethanol’s carbon benefits can support further investment across the ethanol value chain while strengthening India’s energy security and domestic biofuel ecosystem, ISMA added. PTI LUX SHM
