.India’s top daily vlogger, Sourav Joshi, sparked a massive nationwide controversy after publishing a video claiming that E20 (20% ethanol-blended) petrol drastically destroyed his luxury Mercedes-Benz SUV's fuel mileage. In his vlog titled "Race With Brothers. Kon Jeetega?", Joshi showed live dashboard metrics and complained that his vehicle's efficiency plummeted from its usual 17 kmpl down to 9 kmpl, and eventually hit a shocking 5 kmpl within 48 hours. Expressing deep anxiety that the alternative fuel would ruin his premium cars, he stated he was "scared to fill petrol" and joked that he was glad he purchased an electric G-Wagon instead
ollowing severe backlash and intense viral debate, Joshi reportedly deleted or heavily edited the ethanol segment from his vlog. The claim quickly prompted response and clarification from major automotive and government entities: [1, 2, 3]
- Mercedes-Benz India's Clarification: The luxury automaker issued a customer advisory stating that all Mercedes-Benz BS6 petrol vehicles are completely compatible with E20 fuel. Corporate representatives and experts noted that drastic mileage drops are typically caused by bad quality or contaminated fuel, rather than the ethanol blend itself