Over the last few weeks, we all have reported about the problems that are being caused by 20 percent ethanol blending in fuel. Many owners have complained about their vehicles offering poor fuel efficiency and other issues. Recently, a tweet has gone viral online in which a Ferrari worth crores was seen parked on the side of the road after it failed to start. As per the post, this particular vehicle was filled with E20 fuel and it is now inoperable.
The post showing the Ferrari on the side of the road after an E20 fuel fill-up has been shared on X by Rattan Dhillon on his page. In this image, a Ferrari, which seems to be either a Roma or a Portofino, has been covered with a red Ferrari-branded cover and is parked on the side of a road. Where exactly this vehicle was stranded is currently unknown.
As per the person who shared the post, this particular Ferrari worth crores belongs to one of his friends. He mentioned that this vehicle was filled with E20 petrol a few days ago and now the vehicle is not starting. The person highlighted that this Ferrari was taken to the service centre where the technician pointed the issue towards E20 fuel.
According to the Ferrari technician, there is damage to the vehicle due to ethanol-blended fuel. But what exactly has been damaged has not been revealed. Due to this issue, Dhillon, in his post, stated, “After spending crores on the car, paying road tax, vehicle GST tax, and fuel tax, this is what he gets in return after paying the triple amount of car in India.”
He also said, “The truth is, supercars and high-end vehicles are the ones most affected by this fuel blend, yet no one dares to talk about it! The reason is phase separation: Ethanol absorbs moisture from the air. If the car sits for a few days, water can separate out in the tank, leading to poor combustion or no start. @nitin_gadkari.”
The short answer to this question is yes, it is very likely that this particular Ferrari has become inoperable due to the use of E20 fuel. For those who may not be aware, ethanol absorbs moisture from the air, and if the vehicle has been sitting idle for a while, it can separate from petrol. This then causes the fuel tanks, fuel lines and fuel pumps to corrode and cause damage.
Due to this, vehicles including the Ferrari and others which are not E20-compatible can suffer from starting issues. Over the last few weeks, we have seen many people showcasing the hygroscopic nature of ethanol. A motorcycle enthusiast from Bangalore has shared the details of fuels from different fuel companies and their ethanol percentages.
This person brought a number of fuel samples from different fuel companies including JioBP, Nayara, Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum, and others, and ran tests on them. He first mixed a little bit of water with green food color to show the difference in water level when mixed with fuel samples. He then added 25 ml of fuel in each cylinder and mixed it with fuel samples from different companies.
He then left them for a while and showed the rise in water level. Finally, he calculated the amount of ethanol in each fuel sample. The main principle behind this test is that ethanol is soluble in water, whereas petrol is not.
So, when the water-and-ethanol-mixed fuel is left to settle, the ethanol separates into the water layer, increasing the volume of water in the container. The increase in water level directly indicates the ethanol content in the fuel type tested. So far, it has been found that HP Power and Indian Oil XP100 are the only fuels that do not have any ethanol mixed in them.