The steady advance of ethanol E10

[Keith Bennett]

This from the BBC text service today, 4th March 2020

Greener petrol at UK pumps to target emissions
A more eco-friendly petrol could be introduced to garages in the UK from next year.
The government is consulting on making E10 - which contains less carbon and more ethanol than fuel currently on sale - the new standard petrol grade.
The move could cut CO2 emissions from transport by 750,000 tonnes per year, the Department for Transport said.
However, the lower carbon fuel would not be compatible with some older vehicles.

In a 15-minute taxi between gate and runway, a Boeing 747 can burn about a tonne of fuel, while in the cruise it consumes approximately 1 gallon of fuel (about 4 litres) every second. Over the course of a 10-hour flight, it might burn 36,000 gallons (150,000 litres). On the other hand, my A40 rattles along at about 42mpg - but it seems her 62-year presence on the roads of England may be numbered unless the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (https://www.fbhvc.co.uk/) of whom our Club is a member, can successfully continue its battle with the government over these disastrous plans.

[Keith Bennett]

The Federation has, today, released the attached PDF which explains fully the problems older vehicles would face if forced to use E10 fuel, and the response given to a question in the House:

The following question was posed to the Secretary of State for Transport by Sir Greg Knight, Conservative MP for East Yorkshire: “To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the use of E10 fuel on older vehicles?”

Which received the following response from Rachel Maclean, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport):

“Increasing the share of bioethanol in petrol by blending up to 10 per cent, known as E10, could provide significant carbon savings, helping us meet our climate change commitments. One of the main barriers to introducing E10 has been vehicle compatibility. Currently, around 95% of petrol cars used in the UK can use E10, but around 700,000 are not warranted by their manufacturers to use E10. This number is expected to decrease as vehicles come to the end of their life. However, some classic and cherished vehicles that are not advised to use E10 will remain in use.
The prolonged use of E10 fuel in those older and classic vehicles not under manufacturer warranty can cause corrosion of some rubbers and alloys used in the engine and fuel systems. For those vehicles, the Department remains committed to ensuring that E5 is retained as a protection grade, if E10 is introduced.”

The FBHVC will be consulting with all interested parties and our member organisations prior to making our submission to the E10 consultation by the deadline.

Here's the downloadable PDF which expands on this vexing issue.

FBHVC Press Release E10 fuels position.pdf

(252.84 KiB) Downloaded 390 times

[Stoney13]

You forget to say this biofuel has to be imported, this in fact adds more co2 than if we didn't use e10, but the government will use e10 no matter what as its seen to be reducing its co levels nothing to do with fact, I reported on the old old site about this and no one mentioned a thing about it let alone the federation as they dismiss this as only rumours

[Keith Bennett]

I believe the PDF of the Federation's full article does actually state what you've been saying all along - that the wretched stuff has to be imported because the only E10 plant in the UK has recently shut. And they're continuing to badger the government to get clarification on this matter, especially with regard to classic engines.

Strange, isn't it? that the government can take months if not years to address "urgent" matters like all the usual political hot potatoes but once they realised Corona virus will impact the profits of huge businesses - surprise, surprise they pull out all the stops.

(Actually, as I typed that last paragraph I realised our Club site isn't the place for political discussion, so please let's not follow this one up!)

[Stoney13]

i agree about political discussion but nether a less its all to do with them at the end of the day and how much they can rape out of the motorist from speeding cameras too double taxing fuel and lets not forget e zones in london and other towns .............
but after speaking to a chemist there could be and will be chemicals to over ride this e10 much like fuel additives, thats also something else that should be brought up by the federation, as the government at the time said LRP will always be freely available......