As part of its initiative to commemorate the World Environment Day 2022, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) conducted an international virtual conference on the theme ‘Sustainable Mobility: Ethanol Perspective,’ aligned with the vision of sustainable mobility.
The conference also witnessed the unveiling of the microbial report on the in-situ management of crop residue in Punjab.
The event was attended by Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Kaushal Kishore, Minister of State Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, along with a distinguished panel of leaders from the automobile industry and conservation ecologists.
Choubey said, “Our government is working in four ways towards sustainable mobility. India recently achieved 10% ethanol blending target five months in advance, saving INR 41,000 crore worth of fuel imports for the nation.”
He added that the Government’s next target is to achieve 20% ethanol blending, and it is projected to be completed by 2025. “This is a great step towards reducing our fuel imports and carbon emissions across the nation. We have reduced carbon mono oxide emissions by 35% this year,” he said.
Kishore said, “Expanding the green cover across the nation should be our major responsibility towards the environment. Apart from plantations, our major focus should be on green fuels and the use of renewable energy resources for our homes, offices, and public places.”
The auto industry needs to take up initiatives to reduce harmful emissions aggressively, he added.
Rajesh Menon, Director General, SIAM, said, “SIAM is highly conscious and committed towards furthering sustainable mobility by promoting environment, social and economic imperatives. This year’s World Environment Day is being celebrated on the theme ‘Only One Earth’. It is our moral duty to protect and preserve mother nature for future generations.”
Ashwath Ram, Chairman, SIAM Sustainability Mobility Group & Managing Director, TATA Cummins, and Cummins India, said, “In this decade of decarbonisation, our future would be safe if we adopt a sustainable lifestyle and live by the motto of Mahatama Gandhi, “Earth provides enough to sustain every man’s need, but not every man’s greed.”
'SIAM is inclined to the 5-pathway strategy given by our Prime Minister called Panchamrit for tackling climate change and fostering sustainable mobility, which includes decarbonising the economy,' he added.
Rajender Petkar, Co-Chairman, SIAM Sustainable Mobility Group and President & CTO Tata Motors, said, “We all will rededicate ourselves as agents of positive change and carry forward the message far and wide, ensuring sustainability for our mother earth.'
He continued that this is the decade of decarbonisation. The Indian auto industry is committed to ensuring social and economic sustainability.
The event also saw two technical sessions, including ‘Changing landscape of sustainable fuel’ and ‘Policy and regulatory regime for sustainable fuels’.
R Ramaprabhu, Chairman, SIAM Sub-Group on Fuels and Head (Fluids Technology), PD, Mahindra & Mahindra, presented the status of Sustainable Clean fuels and showcased the opportunities and challenges of using ethanol as a blending agent with fuel.
While Eduardo Uziel, Counsellor, Embassy of Brazil, talked about international & national trends of ethanol blending for automobile fuel, drawing a comparative study between Brazilian and Indian fuel technology.
Throwing light on the national imperative for ethanol blending in India and talking about the Trends in Production & Commercialisation, Atul Mulay, President (Bio-Energy) PRAJ Industries, emphasised the usage of alternate fuels and focussed on the commercial aspect of ethanol production and blending.
Talking about the policy and regulatory changes, Sunil Kumar, Joint Secretary (Refinery), Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, noted that due to the biofuel initiatives, many clusters are coming up across the country for the production of biogas, bioplastics among others.
“We are looking towards the bio refinery complexes coming up across the country. This will provide clean alternative energy in future. With the relentless efforts of all stakeholders, it was great achievement towards vision of 10% ethanol blending target,” he said.
“With the help of government and stakeholders, we have reached ethanol distillery capacity of 700 crore litres today and likely to reach 1,200 crore litres for 20% blending by 2025,” he noted.
Ethanol is not only for reducing emissions for the environment, but also it is strategic towards decarbonising the economy, he added.
Subhash Kumar, ETAC Member & Ex CMD ONGC, discussed the energy transition and the role of alternate fuels for future mobility. Adding to the conversation, Dr Anjan Ray, Director, Indian Institute of Petroleum, emphasised policies and regulatory regimes for sustainable fuels, further discussing the challenges and opportunities.
Presenting his perspective, Dr SSV Ramakumar, Director, Indian Oil Corporation, talked about sustainable fuels and challenges for achieving the target of carbon neutrality by 2070 and the tole of ethanol in the transition.
C V Raman, Chairman, SIAM Emission & Conservation Committee and CTO, Maruti Suzuki India, showcased alternate fuels' potential and talked about a technology-agnostic approach to achieving carbon neutrality in the Indian context. He noted that different timeframes will need a different types of powertrain options with CNG, CNG-Bio CNG Mix, low ethanol blend and hybrid.
While for the mid term the requirements will shift to Bio-CNG, high blend ethanol and EVs and ultimately shift to Bio-CNG, high blend ethanol, EVs and hydrogen in the long term.
The programme focused on the automotive industry’s commitment to adopt environment-friendly policies aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and COP-26 goals for achieving the target of carbon net neutrality by 2070.
In his concluding remarks, Prashant K Banerjee, Executive Director, SIAM, talked about the SAIM's special event on biofuels on the eve of ‘World Biofuel Day’ falling on August 10, 2022.