The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) has reportedly withdrawn its letter to the petroleum ministry that raised concerns over possible contamination issues in E20 fuel after reports of vehicle component failures linked to high chloride levels.
Earlier, SIAM had flagged concerns over the presence of high chloride content and moisture in fuel, stating that it had resulted in a significant rise in replacement and repair cases involving components such as fuel pumps, fuel injectors and Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) valves.
The industry body had said investigations into failed vehicle parts indicated corrosion and wear caused by high chloride levels traced to fuel quality.
It had urged the government to include chloride limits in E20 fuel specifications and strengthen monitoring mechanisms at oil marketing companies and retail fuel outlets.
According to SIAM, chloride accumulation in fuel systems can lead to corrosion, potentially causing permanent damage to engine components over time.
The organisation had recommended stricter quality control measures to prevent such failures and avoid negative consumer perception about E20 petrol.
However, SIAM later clarified that the concerns raised in the letter were based on preliminary investigations and that some data mentioned required further verification through detailed collection from different regions and consultations with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
The industry body said it had withdrawn the communication sent on July 28 and acknowledged that the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) has already introduced precautionary measures.
These include a 3 parts per million (ppm) limit for chloride and sulphur levels in ethanol being blended into petrol supplies.
SIAM also said oil marketing companies have implemented additional checks to monitor fuel quality. According to the organisation, checks including water ingress testing are being carried out multiple times daily across more than 87,000 fuel outlets.
