No future for petrol, diesel cars in India? Nitin Gadkari urges shift to hydrogen and ethanol fuels

UNION Minister of Road, Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has cautioned that there is no future for petrol and diesel vehicles, driven by escalating concerns around air pollution and India's heavy dependence on fossil fuel imports.

His comments come amid a widespread debate over whether alternative fuels can capture a significant share of the auto supply chain.

Addressing Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) directly, Gadkari urged them to mull switching from fossil fuels towards cleaner alternatives.

“There is no future for diesel and petrol vehicles. If you (OEMs) are planning to expand only in that direction, then as a friend, I can say your future is not good,” he said at Busworld India Conclave 2026 on 28 April, reported ET.

He pressed manufacturers and fleet operators to accelerate the shift towards cleaner fuels such as hydrogen, ethanol, CNG, LNG, and electric-powered fleets.

"We import fossil fuels worth ₹22 lakh crore. This is not only an economic challenge but also a major pollution problem. Our policy is: import substitute, cost-effective, pollution-free, and indigenous," Gadkari said, underscoring the urgency for self-reliance.

In FY25, India imported about 242.4 million tonnes of crude oil, with import dependence hovering near 89%, reinforcing the rationale behind Gadkari’s emphasis on indigenous, import‑substitute fuels.

Fuel of the future

At the conclave, Gadkari highlighted hydrogen as the "fuel of the future," revealing that the ministry has launched pilot projects with hydrogen trucks and buses. These initiatives, in collaboration with Tata Motors, Volvo, Indian Oil, BPCL, and NTPC, span 10 routes nationwide.

These hydrogen pilots cover 10 corridors, such as Greater Noida–Delhi–Agra, Pune–Mumbai, and Thiruvananthapuram–Kochi, backed by nine refuelling stations and around ₹500 crore in budgetary support under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, he shared.

On flex-fuel options, he asserted that ethanol is a key alternative, adding that India produces it from broken rice, corn, bamboo, rice straw, sugarcane and molasses. Noting the "huge potential" of ethanol, Gadkari pointed out that 20% blending is already underway, with the government now developing flex engines.

Officially, India has already met its target of making E20 fuel available across the country by 2025, as outlined in the NITI Aayog roadmap; the next phase under discussion is a phased rollout of E85 in ethanol‑surplus states.

Gadkari's remarks at the conclave align with the Centre's proposed overhaul of the vehicle fuel framework, which aims to introduce higher ethanol blends such as E85 and E100. As reported by Reuters, this strategy seeks to move beyond the E20 benchmark, fostering regulatory space for vehicles compatible with much higher ethanol content and reducing reliance on imported petroleum.