E10 on sale in the UK in 2013?

The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs exists to uphold the freedom to use old vehicles on the road. It does this by representing the interests of owners of such vehicles to politicians, government officials, and legislators both in UK and through membership of Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens (FIVA) in Europe.

Note: E10 label alongside is from the US.

 






Posted: 121216

Back to homepage

Matthew Vincent (FBHVC) reports the legislative process to permit the introduction of petrol containing up to 10% ethanol is expected to be completed by very late 2012 or early 2013. Once the enabling legislation is in place, the product, which will bear the name E10, may be sold at petrol stations, but unlike petrol containing 5% ethanol, which is already on sale, and which carries no label, E10 must be labelled.

There has been recent publicity suggesting that there will be no introduction of the E10 petrol until 2014 or 2015. This may prove to be the case, and it would be the situation which naturally the Federation would welcome.

However, once the law permits the sale of this product, it must be recognised that it may appear in the market place. There may be retailers who wish to sell this fuel sooner rather than later. The Federation has been keen to ensure that when E10 petrol does appear at the pumps, it can be easily recognised for what it is, enabling the historic vehicle owner to make an informed choice over whether or not to purchase the product.

The higher octane petrol blend usually known as Super Premium contains much reduced levels of ethanol as a general rule, so this may be worth considering for those owners of historic vehicles who are concerned about possible adverse effects from the addition of ethanol to normal 95 octane unleaded petrol. Oil industry sources indicate that the Super Premium product, which must by law provide an octane quality of 97, but which may in fact exceed 99 octane, is blended to meet these quality levels without the addition of ethanol. In many cases no ethanol is blended into this product after it is transported from the refinery, although this is not always the case, making it very difficult to be precise about the ethanol content in Super Premium grade fuel. Oil company producers do not always have close control over distribution terminals which is where ethanol is blended into petrol before sale at garage forecourts. However, on balance, purchasing a Super Premium blend of unleaded petrol provides the opportunity to minimise ethanol content.

V8 Register - MG Car Club - the leading group for MG V8 enthusiasts at www.v8register.net