Earlier this month, several media reports said the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) had urged the government to introduce mandatory chloride limits in fuel standards after high levels of chloride and moisture were found in E20 petrol. SIAM later withdrew the communication, saying some of the figures mentioned in it needed further verification.

The government has been trying to address growing concerns around E20 with support from the industry. Oil marketing companies (OMCs) have rejected claims of widespread E20 fuel contamination after conducting tests across the country. Brands such as Toyota, Maruti Suzuki and Hero MotoCorp have also publicly backed the E20 programme.

However, separate communications between industry executives investigated by Reuters show that earlier, Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors and Mahindra had privately raised concerns about contamination in E20. The data compiled by these carmakers was the most extensive fuel testing since E20 was officially rolled out nationwide last year. Their emails reveal that the carmakers were concerned about contaminants such as chloride and moisture in the fuel, which they said were affecting vehicles, even as they publicly supported the government’s E20 rollout.

Data flags high chloride contamination, moisture content

The data reviewed by Reuters shows that the three automobile manufacturers had carried out detailed testing by collecting more than 250 fuel samples from petrol pumps across 21 states and Union Territories over a year. The tests found high chloride levels in many samples from 18 states, along with high moisture content. Interestingly, the emails reviewed by Reuters did not raise any concerns about the authenticity of the data. 

Source: SIAM via Reuters.

The data showed chloride levels of 6 to 570 parts per million (ppm) in Rajasthan, 1.4 to 420ppm in New Delhi and 10 to 357ppm in Maharashtra. The government’s permissible limit is 3ppm.

High chloride levels in the fuel can corrode vehicle components, while high moisture content can cause a vehicle to stop working immediately after refuelling, SIAM had stated earlier. In group emails exchanged between Maruti, Tata, Mahindra and SIAM, a senior Maruti executive raised concerns about the high chloride readings and said the matter had even been privately discussed with the Ministry of Petroleum on July 26.

Moisture levels found 333 percent above limit

Additionally, the same data showed moisture levels of up to 13,000ppm in Andhra Pradesh and 12,500ppm in Uttar Pradesh, against the government’s permissible limit of 3,000ppm. The exact cause of the contamination is not known. However, SIAM said in its now-withdrawn letter that it had seen an increase in chloride levels since E20 was introduced and asked the government to direct OMCs to identify the root cause.

When asked about the private emails, SIAM told Reuters that the data was meant only for internal circulation, discussion and validation, and had been collected by a very small number of automakers. SIAM added that the communication was withdrawn because the testing basis and sample size were not enough to support firm conclusions and that it had been sent accidentally. The organisation stated further that it plans to conduct a proper scientific study.

As for the high moisture levels, SIAM’s letter said the cause could be poor maintenance of underground storage tanks and pipelines at petrol pumps.

Carmakers raise concerns over vehicle failures

In a July 26 email, a senior Maruti official said that current fuel injectors can tolerate a maximum chloride level of 1ppm, and keeping it below 1ppm in E20 would be in accordance with international standards and discussions with the petroleum ministry. Same is in line with discussion held with the petroleum ministry, he stated.

Meanwhile, a senior Mahindra official wrote that organic chloride was responsible for the rapid vehicle failures in recent times and could damage engines just within 200km. The executive said that most cases reported immediately after refuelling were due to organic chloride and added that Mahindra had “strong evidences” from fuel samples collected at retail outlets. Mahindra later said the conclusions drawn from its executive’s emails were “completely baseless and incorrect”. The company said the industry data was limited and preliminary and that it did not see any issues with E20. 

What does the government say?

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas did not respond to requests for comment made by Reuters. Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Friday that OMCs had started “rigorous testing” at retail outlets to check for contamination two weeks before SIAM’s letter was received. According to Puri, only four cases of contamination had been found. OMCs, as mentioned earlier, said that their extensive testing had found no reason for alarm over fuel contamination.