NEW DELHI: Road transport minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday urged vehicle makers to work on alternative fuels and electric vehicles to help reduce crude oil imports and check air pollution in the country. “India imports `7 lakh crore of crude annually. On top of that, there are problems related to pollution. Vehicle makers need to work on alternate fuels as well as electric vehicles to address these concerns,” he said at the launch of the country’s first ethanol-powered motorcycle, TVS Apache RTR 200 Fi E100. 

Gadkari said he would urge the petroleum and natural gas ministry to open ethanol pumps across the country to boost availability of the biofuel. Venu Srinivasan, chairman of TVS Motor Company, said ethanol-based products are an important option in search for environment-friendly mobility solutions due to the easy compatibility in transition from petrol and diesel to ethanol.