India has launched E85 fuel as part of a wider plan to reduce dependence on imported crude oil. But the new fuel is meant only for flex-fuel vehicles, not regular petrol or E20-compliant cars. India’s E85 launch is not just another fuel station story. It is the Centre’s latest attempt to solve a much older problem: how to reduce the country’s dependence on imported crude oil without waiting for the transport economy to fully shift to electric vehicles.