India, Aug. 28 -- The other day, I couldn't help but eavesdrop on a conversation between my father and brother about buying a new car. While there's nothing wrong with our five-year-old Tiago, whose 1.2L 3-cylinder Revotron engine neighs 85 horses and produces 113 Nm of torque, it was probably time to expand the family fleet.

Yet, just as the excitement settled in, a string of questions left me with a sour taste.

Should we buy an ICE vehicle (petrol or diesel) or switch to an EV? What if we buy a petrol car, and the engine is not 20-30% ethanol compliant? And, if diesel, what's the guarantee that tomorrow there won't be a sudden mandate to blend 10% ethanol, or more, given the government is already pushing for 5%? Are today's diesel eng...