Maruti Suzuki to offer E20 upgrade kit for non-compliant cars but there’s a catch – Car News

E20 petrol has reportedly caused a drop in fuel efficiency and performance primarily due to the higher corrosive nature of ethanol.

E20 and ethanol-blended fuel has caught tremendous traction in the last few days. With car owners across the country reporting a drop in performance and mileage, blending of ethanol in petrol has become a hugely debated topic with government officials and oil manufacturers denying any such claims.

Maruti Suzuki to introduce E20 upgrade kits

To address this problem, Maruti Suzuki has come up with a solution for its customers. According to Autocar India, the company will be offering the E20 upgrade kits for Maruti car owners whose vehicles don’t comply with E20 norms. However, there’s a catch. This upgrade kit will only be available to Maruti cars not older than 15 years old.

In places like Delhi, petrol-run vehicles older than 15 years are not allowed to operate. The report mentions that this kit could cost anything between Rs 4000 and Rs 6,000 depending on the model. The upgrade kit would consist of metal, rubber and plastic components like fuel lines, seals and gaskets that tend to wear out with excessive presence of ethanol over time. This is because ethanol is more corrosive in nature than pure petrol which reduces the lifespan of these components inside the engine.

Challenge of E20 upgradation

Although upgrading to E20 compliance is technically achievable—particularly in terms of material compatibility—it still demands additional effort in testing and validation. The real challenge lies for engines that are no longer in production. Therefore, development of these parts will be crucial to the success of E20 upgrade kits. 

The other challenge is the need of re-tuning the engines to make them E20 compliant to ensure that emissions for the vehicle are within specified limit. The report further reveals that other OEMs are also looking to introduce similar upgrade kits in the future.

This comes as a positive step, particularly since warranties may exclude damage resulting from the use of non-recommended fuel. Vehicles manufactured before April 2023 were engineered for E0 or E10 formulations, and their warranties were structured accordingly. Currently, most retail outlets of the public sector Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) are dispensing petrol with 15% to 20% ethanol blends.

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This article was first uploaded on August fourteen, twenty twenty-five, at eleven minutes past eleven in the morning.

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