Most vehicles will be not compatible with the greener E10 fuel

In order to cut carbon emissions, the government will roll out a fuel which couldn’t be used by some of the most popular car industries. Indeed, the E10 petrol, already introduced in EU, US and Australia, will found hundreds of thousand of vehicles, such as Volkswagen, Ford and Nissan ones, not compatible with it.

E10 is an alternative fuel, a greener solution because it is made up od 10 per cent bioethanol, while regular petrol has 5 per cent of bioethanol. So the government, through the Department of Transport, wants to encourage industries to sell E10 vehicles, helping the UK to reach climate change targets.

A large part of vehicles are nowadays compatible with E10, while many others are not. According to an analysis, led by the RAC Foundation, many cars still in regular use couldn’t be fuelled with E10. For example, we can read in the report that by 2020 there will be 28,066 Volkswagen Golfs still used but not compatible with the greener fuel. Moreover, also models like Nissan Micra, Rover 25 and Ford Escort can’t use the E10. In 2020 there will be 634,309 cars still in use but incompatible with E10. «As and when E10 appears on the forecourts, drivers need to know whether their cars can use it without being damaged» said Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation. 

«This analysis shows that even in a couple of years’ time there will still be hundreds of thousands of cars on our roads that are incompatible with the new fuel - Gooding claimed - While some of the cars incompatible with E10 fuel will be historic models, many will be old but serviceable everyday runarounds that people on a tight travel budget rely on to get about». 

In order to let also the owners of older vehicles drive, the DfT wants to introduce a requirement for filling stations that will have to stock standard petrol in an E5 grade even when the E10 will be introduced. «The good news is both that the vast majority of cars on our roads are able to run on E10 and that Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has recognised the need to protect the users of those older vehicles that are not E10 compatible - Gooding said - It will be interesting to see whether the current consultation generates support for the government’s proposed way forward». 

A DfT spokesperson also claimed: «This government is ambitiously seeking to reduce the UK’s reliance on imported fossils fuels and cut carbon emissions from transport. But drivers of older vehicles should not be hit hard in the pocket as a result. The E10 petrol consultation - as the spokesperson explained - will give a better understanding of the impact of E10 on the UK market, and to ensure that drivers are protected if any changes come into effect». 

However, also the use of bioethanol could damage the environment: the conversion of land to farms to supply bioethanol could lead to the destruction of forests and wetlands.