Technical E10 petrol coming soon!

[stu4art]

Hi Forum
I've just seen online that, here in Germany, there is going to be a new petrol mixture. E10 (probably some fancy name too) they will be adding 10% 'Ethanol' to the fuel at the start of Jan 2011. It appears that our 'Barchetta: 1.8 16V' will not be compatible (ADAC German = http://tinyurl.com/3afzrtt in German) (Google translation http://tinyurl.com/2c3ur6j )
Anybody heard any more about this fuel?
Will it be Europe wide?
What will happen if I tank it by accident?
So many questions :bang:
STU

 

[barchetta_97]

Yeah, we are going to have this in Finland too.

If I remember correctly it's going to replace 95 E5 here, so it will be 95 E10 , doesn't really matter for me since I only put 98 E5 to b. :slayer:

 

[bumble]

One thing will be absolutely certain - it wont cost less.

 

[suoixon]

Yeah, we are going to have this in Finland too.

Same here in Sweden, but all large petrol stations (selling more than x million liters per year) are required to keep selling a 5% ethanol fuel in parallel to the new 10% mixture.

 

[Giorgio]

Stu

Scary stuff indeed. However, have a look at this:

http://www.adac.de/infotestrat/tank...benzin-und-diesel/e10/default.aspx?tabid=tab3

The article states that E10 fuel will be offered in addition to the previously available "E5" fuels (with only 5% bioethanol). According to the second paragraph ("Bestandsschutzregelung für nicht E10-taugliche Fahrzeuge"), the regulation states that every petrol station which sells Super E10 also has to sell Super E5. The same applies to Super Plus (Super = 95 RON, Super Plus = 98 RON). Exemptions are possible only for very small petrol stations.

The next paragraph ("Trotz E10...") states that in Germany, petrol companies are required "as per the regulations" to continue to offer E5 fuels indefinitely, and that this requirement could only be revoked if the regulations are amended (which is not proposed).

This means that [in this respect] the regulations in Germany will go over and above the requirements of the EU regulation. The EU regulation only requires fuel companies to provide E5 fuel until at least 2013.

Pumps dispensing E10 fuels will have to be clearly marked.


Will it be Europe wide? Probably, given that it's an EU regulation which requires this. However, it may take some time before the EU regs become national law...

What happens if you tank it by accident? Elsewhere on the page it says that E10 fuels may corrode aluminium and cause leaky seals and fuel lines. The scary thing is that according to this article, the corrosion may start even if you use E10 fuel only once, and once started it cannot be stopped.
So it may be a case of "new fuel tank, new fuel lines, new engine". . No idea whether this is just scaremongering or whether it really is that bad.

However, if Mr. Röttgen (the environment minister) is to be believed (and I haven't read the interview which the ADAC article is quoting from) it appears that your b won't go thirsty in the near future.

If I remember correctly it's going to replace 95 E5 here, so it will be 95 E10 , doesn't really matter for me since I only put 98 E5 to b.

barchetta_97 - I would imagine all this applies to both 95 and 98 RON fuel?

Regards
Giorgio

 

[stu4art]

Giorgio thanx for that link,
I like the way they say 'E10 fuels may corrode aluminium' I don't like the sound of that one little bit! The ADAC don't recommend the use of additives either, as for 'clearly marked' they put so much advertising junk on the nozzles here that I'm often unsure of what I've just tanked
I just bet the price of the E5 will go sky high. Similar to the way they priced up 'NORMAL BENZINE' whilst phasing it out to 'SUPER' here.
I'll have to make a sticker for the petrol filler just in case somebody else 'kindly fills me up' ok that'll never happen.
STU

 

[Giorgio]

Stu,

No problem.

As for 'clearly marked' they put so much advertising junk on the nozzles here that I'm often unsure of what I've just tanked

As long as you don't use the black nozzle marked "Diesel"...

ADAC says it will "continue to monitor the price of fuel", but I don't know how much influence they really have over it...

I noticed the phasing out of "Normal" petrol as well. I think these days most modern cars tend to run on Super anyway, but whenever I am in Germany with my other car, I tend to stick to Normal - force of habit.
However, for the b, my motto is:
"Will nicht sparn, will nicht vernünftig sein, kommt nur das gute Super rein"

Regards
Giorgio

 

[stu4art]

Giorgio, I don't think they, the ADAC, really have that much clout, they like to think they have. There has never been a 'petrol boycott' as far as I know by the 'Volk' either. We just seem to dig deeper (especially when school hols start)
Do you ever bring your Bee over here and have a go on the Autobahnen? Weren't much fun yesterday in the snow! Knowing you haven't even got ABS made my right foot as light as a feather. But she did start first time and drove well, once I'd removed the half a tun of snow and ice
STU