E20 fuel mileage drop claim: YouTuber Sourav Joshi backtracks, apologises
Joshi's post on X came after Mercedes-Benz India clarified that all their petrol BS VI vehicles are “materially compatible with E20 fuel”
YouTuber and vlogger Sourav Joshi, who blamed E20 petrol for a drop in mileage of his Mercedes-Benz SUV, has now backtracked and claimed it is due to an “engine issue” and also apologised for a “misunderstanding”.
Joshi, who has over 40 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, recently claimed in a video that his Benz SUV’s mileage dropped from 17 kilometres per litre to just 5 kmpl within two days. He blamed ethanol-blended petrol for the drop in mileage.
What Joshi said
On Monday (July 13), he posted on his X (Formerly Twitter) account, “We visited the Mercedes service centre, and they found that there was an issue with the engine, which was causing the low mileage. I apologize for the misunderstanding regarding E20 petrol. My intention was never to spread incorrect information or hurt anyone’s sentiments. I have trimmed that part accordingly.”
Also read: From mileage loss to rising repair bills: What a survey on E20 fuel found
This post came after Mercedes-Benz India clarified that all their petrol BS VI vehicles are “materially compatible with E20 fuel”.
Mercedes-Benz’s clarification
"At Mercedes-Benz, customer safety, vehicle reliability and performance are of paramount importance to us. All Mercedes-Benz petrol BS VI vehicles are materially compatible with E20 fuel and certified accordingly by relevant authorities. We are happy to support customers for any technical queries. Mercedes-Benz remains committed to sustainable mobility," the German carmaker said in a statement.
Joshi’s earlier claim
In a video earlier, Joshi had said, “Yesterday I showed you our car's mileage had gone from 17 straight down to 9. And do you know what it has become today? Today it has reached five... look at this, it's showing a mileage of five.”
Also read: Will ethanol-blended fuel ruin your engine? India's ethanol push explained
“This is what has happened because of ethanol,” he added.
“I don't know when this car will break down... Nowadays I'm so scared of refilling petrol,” he said claiming a full tank was providing around 800 km now and it had dropped to 480 km after refuelling.
Govt defends E20 fuel
Amid the debate over E20 petrol, the Union government strongly defended its Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme.
Responding to claims of E20 fuel cutting mileage by 30 per cent, the government said, “The 30 percent figure refers only to ethanol's lower calorific value compared to petrol, not to a drop in real-world mileage. Mileage depends on driving habits, tyre pressure, servicing and AC load far more than fuel type.”
Also read: E20 petrol row: Gadkari says only dealers, not consumers, can check mileage
It also dismissed some claims of engine damage due to use of E20 fuel. “No widespread pattern of engine failure linked to E20 has been reported since rollout. E20 was cleared only after extensive testing by SIAM, ARAI and IOCL together with vehicle makers.”