Indian Oil Corp. introduces India’s first 100 octane gasoline

India’s state-owned oil and gas company, Indian Oil Corp., has launched a high-octane gasoline,  with an octane number of 100, in what the company described as a “potential game-changer” in the domestic fuel retail market. Currently, the petrol grade being marketed in India is 91 octane. 

Branded as XP100, the high-octane gasoline was launched across 10 cities by no less than India’s Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel, Dharmendra Pradhan.

An octane rating, or octane number, is a standard measure of the performance of an engine or aviation gasoline. The higher the octane number, the more compression the fuel can withstand before detonating.

“With this fuel, India has joined the league of select countries worldwide where petrol with 100 or higher octane number is sold. Launch of world-class products such as XP100 prove that we are focused on providing better energy solutions to all. The fact that these solutions are being deployed with homegrown technology developed by our scientists is a matter of pride. This is yet another step in the direction of the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative which our Government is keenly implementing in the energy sector, in line with our PM’s Energy Vision,” Pradhan said.

Indian Oil is the first oil company in India to launch this high-octane gasoline, which automakers have long claimed they need to achieve better performance and higher fuel efficiency of modern engines. XP100 premium was produced at Indian Oil’s Mathura Refinery using the indigenous OCTAMAX technology developed by Indian Oils’  R&D Centre.

IndianOil’s premium grade petrol with 100 Octane is designed to rev up the engine, give faster acceleration, significantly boost engine performance, give better drivability, enhanced fuel economy and engine life. It exceeds IS-2796 specifications and is also an environment-friendly fuel with much reduced tailpipe emissions.

Indian Oil plans to roll-out XP100 in 15 cities across the country in two phases. In the first phase, it has been made available at select retail outlets on December 1, 2020, in Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Agra, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Mumbai, Pune and Ahmedabad. In the second phase, the availability of this fuel would be extended to Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Bhubaneswar. These cities have been selected based on their aspirational demographics and availability of high-end vehicles in these cities.

Worldwide, 100-octane petrol has a niche market for high-end vehicles that demand high performance and is available only in six countries, including Germany and in some states in the United States.