E100 Gets Green Light: India Opens the Door to Near-Pure Ethanol Vehicles

E100 vs E85: what the new Gazette notification means for flex-fuel vehicles, emission norms and India’s ethanol push

October 26, 2026

MoRTH notifies amendments allowing E100 in flex-fuel vehicles and raising a weight limit to 3,500 kg. Read the details and the caveats

Amended rules add E100 alongside E85, but only for vehicles designed by manufacturers as flex-fuel

The government has cleared the way for vehicles that run on 100 per cent ethanol. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has amended the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, to allow E100 fuel in flex-fuel vehicles built specifically for it.

The Gazette notification (G.S.R. 911(E)) adds E100 alongside E85 in the emission standards for flex-fuel vehicles, so vehicles designed to run on nearly pure ethanol now have a regulatory framework. In Rule 115, which covers vehicle emission standards, references to “E85” now read “E85 or E100.”

E100 is fuel with 100 per cent ethanol, while E85 contains 85 per cent. Flex-fuel vehicles are built to run on different petrol-ethanol blends.

The notification also raises the gross vehicle weight threshold in the relevant emission standards from 3,000 kg to 3,500 kg.

The change is aimed at expanding ethanol use in transport and cutting India’s reliance on conventional petrol. It applies only to vehicles that manufacturers have designed for these fuels. It does not allow E100 in ordinary petrol vehicles.

The amendments follow draft rules issued on April 27, 2026. The ministry said it considered the objections and suggestions received from the public. The rules take effect from the date of publication in the Official Gazette.

The notification does not set a timeline for E100 fuel to become commercially available across the country.

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