Beginning Friday, the domestic oil market in India will boast of a high-performance fuel with an octane rating of 99 - the highest in India so far - targeting high end vehicles like BMW, Porsche and Lamborghini.
AP/Representational Image
State-run Hindustan Petroleum Corporation will launch 'poWer 99' fuel in Bengaluru on a pilot basis. This will be extended to other metros and rest of the country in the coming weeks.
Experts said higher-octane fuels have higher activation energy requirements, which means they are less likely to lead to uncontrolled ignition, also called auto-ignition or detonation.
AFP
Stating that the market for high-end cars is growing in India, HPCL officials said cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, Chandigarh and Gurugram have a high number of high end bikes and cars.
The upgraded fuel can withstand a greater rise in temperature during the compression stroke of an internal combustion engine without auto-igniting. This allows more power to be extracted, useful for high-end cars and bikes which need high-octane green petrol for optimum performance," a senior HPCL official said.
Toyota Kirloskar Motors vice-chairman Vikram Kirloskar said: "There is certainly a market for such vehicles, and it is growing. There is a need for such fuels. So long as they come in with local specifications, they are good for the market and the environment."
Reuters
The first petrol pump to vend this fuel in India will be HPCL's outlet in Murugeshpalya, on Old Airport Road. HPCL regional manager (South) Subhankar Dutta said: "Bengaluru has about 300 high-end cars. There is a demand for superbikes like Duke and Harleys. We will launch the product here, and in other metros later.Until now, India has had an octane rate of 97, offered by BPCL, and Shell's octane rating is a tad less."