Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL) has introduced XtraGreen diesel, a more eco-friendly variant as it has a lower sulphur content than regular diesel, in the State.
The variant, which offers higher fuel economy and reduced noise, is priced ₹3 more than high-speed diesel (HSD), which is more commonly used. The higher cetane number in XtraGreen is supposed to provide better combustion compared to conventional diesel.
V. Sathish Kumar, Director (marketing) of Indian Oil, launched the sale at the company’s Maraimalai Nagar outlet in the presence of V.C. Ashokan, executive director, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, State coordinator for the Oil industry, and K. Shailendra, executive director, regional services.
Sources in IOCL explained that the fuel would be made available based on customer demand in all major cities and on highways. “Most high-volume fuel outlets have additional tankage to store another variant, and these outlets can easily stock XtraGreen. High-end diesel cars, buses like Volvo and trucks like Daimler use this variant. Even vehicles that do not have BS VI can use it,” an official said.
XtraGreen diesel comes with a multi-functional additive, which is said to considerably reduce carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and particulate matter emissions, is manufactured at the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd. refinery at Manali.
A petroleum dealer said there was a small segment that would go for this particular variant. High-end cars would definitely go for this as it was supposed to be beneficial to the vehicles. “All over the world, outlets have different varieties. This is a good start for our outlets. A special discount for transporters will encourage them to switch to this cleaner option,” he added.
