Opinion National Interest PoV 50-Word Edit

ThePrint On Camera Videos In Pictures

Society & Culture Around Town Book Excerpts Vigyapanti The Dating Story

More Judiciary Education YourTurn Work With Us Campus Voice

Opinion National Interest PoV 50-Word Edit

ThePrint On Camera Videos In Pictures

Society & Culture Around Town Book Excerpts Vigyapanti The Dating Story

More Judiciary Education YourTurn Work With Us Campus Voice

India aims to switch to ethanol amid the global oil crisis. Not all cars are ready

Ethanol is less energy-dense than petrol, which has affected the fuel efficiency of older petrol vehicles. More modern petrol engines mitigate this almost entirely.

It’s common knowledge now that an energy crisis in India and elsewhere was precipitated by the conflict in West Asia and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Although the Indian government kept fuel prices steady over the past few months, no doubt due to political concerns, various news reports indicated that oil marketing companies faced serious under-recoveries, to the tune of Rs 1,000-1,700 crore daily.

Thus, the Rs 3 hike in fuel prices (benchmarked to prices in Delhi) on Friday morning should not have come as a surprise to anyone. However, despite the relative stability of fuel prices in India, wholesale inflation has increased dramatically as the cost of imports, including fertiliser and food, has risen. 

Even if this crisis ends soon, it has starkly highlighted the challenges India faces when it comes to energy security. Sure, the country can secure new suppliers — several tanker loads of crude oil from Venezuela are reportedly on their way to India right now, according to ship-tracking websites — but how does India overcome its crude oil addiction? And given that the transportation sector is the largest consumer of refined petroleum products, what can be done?

Well, certain things will not change. Aviation, for example, despite much talk of sustainable aviation fuel, has seen painfully slow progress globally. But personal and commercial transport are changing, and that is visible to anyone on Indian roads as more electric vehicles join the........

© ThePrint