Legal
requirement for an E5 ‘protection’ grade of petrol for engines that
are not compatible with E10 extended for a further 3 years to the end of 2016
This
DfT announcement was made on 29th August 2013 and is available on the DfT
website.
Proposed
amendment to the Motor Fuel Composition and Content Regulations 1999 - see the
main consultation document. See page 4 of the document for how you can
respond to the consultation. More
Motor
Fuel Composition and Content Regulations 1999: extension of protection grade requirement
impact assessment. More
Proposed
amendment is aimed at extending the existing requirement for a protected grade
of super unleaded petrol with an ethanol blend of no more than 5% to be available
on the market. This current requirement expires at the end of 2013. The proposal
is to extend this for a further three years to the 1st January 2017.
DfT
consultation
The consultation period began on 29th August 2013 and will
run until 27th September 2013. Please ensure that your response reaches the DfT
by 27th September 2013. The Department considers that this 4 week period is sufficient
because the consultation is targeted and because the amendment involves continuation
of existing policy.
DfT
consulatation invites responses to two questions:
Question 1:
Do you
agree with our proposal to amend the Motor Fuel (Composition and Content) Regulations
1999 to extend the requirement for a protected grade of super unleaded petrol
with an ethanol content of no more than 5% to be available on the market until
1st January 2017?
Question 2:
Do you have any comments on this proposal
or the costs and benefits set out in the attached Impact Assessment (Annex
A)?
Note: DfT estimates
the number of non-compatible vehicles will fall from the current 1.6 million and
900,000 of unknown compatibility used
as main means of transport to 780,000
in 2016 - that's in only only 3 years on! Let's hope a similar 51% of MGBGTV8s
are not scrapped by 2016! Quite what the implication
of "main means of transport" implies in that projection for classic
cars, that are usually not driven as the owner's main means of transport but for
fun, is not clear.
Source:
news provided in an FBHVC news circular spotted by fellow V8 member Chris Hunt
Cooke.
Posted: 130829
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 | The
Department of Transport in the UK (DfT) says in a foreward to an open consultation
it has launched that "the vast majority of the UK petrol fuelled vehicle
fleet is compatible with E10 fuel (petrol with a 10% ethanol content), but there
are still a significant number of vehicles - around 12% or 2.5 million cars -
which are classified as non-compatible. The roll out of E10 is a commercial
decision and it may be possible that in certain areas of the UK E10 will replace
premium E5 grade petrol (petrol which contains no more than 5% ethanol). The
| UK
Government is proposing to extend the current legal requirement for a ‘protection’
grade - for engines that are not compatible with E10 petrol - for a further
3 years to the end of 2016. This will mitigate the risk of limited availability
of an E5 grade fuel while there are still a significant number of non-compatible
vehicles in circulation."
This announcement is of particular interest
to MGV8 enthusiasts because a high proportion of those "non-compatible vehicles"
are classic cars including the MGB and its derivatives like the MGBGTV8. By extending
the current legal requirement for a protection grade beyond 2013 the UK Government
will limit risks and minimise consumer costs. See the impact assessment. More
Most petrol stations in the UK offer two petrol grades: standard unleaded
(known as premium), which represents 95% of sales and super unleaded. Both premium
and super petrol grades currently marketed in the UK contain up to 5% ethanol
(known as E5).
Regulation 3 of the Motor Fuel (Composition and Content)
Regulations 1999 (SI 1999/3107) requires the ethanol content of super unleaded
petrol sold at a filling station to be no more than 5% by volume. This requirement
only applies to filling stations that have supplied not less than 3 million litres
of fuel (petrol and diesel) in the previous year and is only applicable until
the end of 2013.
This requirement was introduced in January 2010 by the
Motor Fuel (Composition and Content) Amendment Regulations 2010 (SI 3035 / 2010)
which implemented in part Directive 2009/30/EC. Article 1(3) of the Directive
2009/30/EC states:
“Member States shall require suppliers to ensure
the placing on the market of petrol with a maximum oxygen content of 2,7 % and
a maximum ethanol content of 5 % until 2013 and may require the placing on the
market of such petrol for a longer period if they consider it necessary.”
However,
in March 2013 a revised standard for petrol (EN 228) was approved by the British
Standard Institute which increased the ethanol blend limit from 5% to 10%. This
means that UK fuel suppliers can now start to supply blends with up to 10% ethanol
(known as E10) should they choose so. E10 has already been introduced in some
Member States, including France, Finland and Germany (E10 sales represent around
25-50% of total petrol supply).
The vast majority of UK petrol fleet is
compatible with E10. Recent estimates by the Society of Vehicle Manufacturers
and Traders (SMMT) based on 2012 data show 88% of petrol cars to be E10 compatible.
The remaining 12%, 2.5 million cars, were classified non-compatible (of which
1.6 million are known to be non-compatible and 900,000 of unknown compatibility).
Following
Informal discussions with fuel suppliers we understand that for the time being
there are no plans to introduce E10 on a large scale in the immediate future.
Therefore unleaded E5 is expected to remain widely available.
However,
the roll out of E10 is a commercial decision and it may be possible that in certain
areas E10 will replace the premium E5 grade. The proposed measure of extending
the current legal requirement for a protection grade beyond 2013 would mitigate
the risk of limited availability of an E5 grade in the eventuality E10 is introduced
while there are still a significant number of non-compatible vehicles in circulation.
The
proposed amendment aims at extending the current requirement for further 3 years,
expiring in January 2017. DfT estimates show that by 2016 the number of non-compatible
vehicles used as main means of transport will decline to 780,000. In considering
the suitable period of time for the extension we have taken into account of the
free circulation provision contained in the Fuel Quality Directive (2009/30/EC). |
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