A Controversial Blend
The controversy surrounding the blending of ethanol with petrol continues to rage, with the oil ministry justifying its use. The use of ethanol is likely to harm older generation cars, for it is a corrosive fuel that can eat into the cylinder liner, cylinder head, and combustion chamber should the car not be in regular use. If ethanol is produced from biowaste, then it makes sense, but producing it from sugarcane is not a good solution because a lot of water is required for sugarcane cultivation.
For the last two months, I have been driving a Mercedes-Benz GLC 220 d mild hybrid, and its fuel efficiency is unbelievable. The SUV returns 18 kilometres to a litre in the city’s stop-and-go traffic. Given its fuel tank capacity of 60 litres, it gives me a range of 950 kilometres within the city. I am sure this figure will be around 24 km/l on the highway. To give you an idea, I can go to Goa, stay there for three days, and come back without having to refuel. Now, that is a truly green car.
This month, Car India celebrates its 20th anniversary, and I would like to thank all our readers, car manufacturers, and the automobile industry for their unstinting support over the past 20 years and look forward to their continued support in the future as well.
A lot of hard work goes into bringing out the magazine every month. For this, I would like to thank our unsung heroes, like the marketing team, the designers, and our copy desk editor, all of whom work tirelessly and are never in the limelight.
EDITOR – ASPI BHATHENA
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