The Indian Sugar and Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA) has welcomed the notification of the Central Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Rules, 2026, by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
The amendment to the CMVR framework explicitly incorporates E100 alongside E85 within the emission-certification framework for flex-fuel vehicles, requiring vehicles engineered for these higher ethanol blends to comply with designated emission, testing, and safety standards.
The industry body noted that E100 fuel can reduce particle number emissions by 84 percent compared with E20 blends.
ISMA projections indicate that if E100-compatible flex-fuel vehicles account for 50 percent of new car sales from 2027 onwards, based on a 5 percent compound annual growth rate in total sales, annual ethanol consumption could reach 1,471 crore litres by 2030. The association estimates that this volume could generate foreign exchange savings of Rs 71,448.8 crore and yield farmer income of Rs 58,489.9 crore.
"India's regulatory framework is steadily evolving to enable ethanol-based mobility. The recognition of E100 alongside E85 under the CMVR framework is a significant step towards accelerating the adoption of flex-fuel vehicles," said Deepak Ballani, Director General of ISMA.