IS BIO FUEL THE WAY TO GO?
Steps towards motoring without petrol and diesel came one stage closer recently, with Volkswagen, Shell and biotechnology firm Iogen agreeing to look into producing a new biofuel in Germany. A European Union directive on cutting greenhouse emissions means that by 2010, 5.75% of fuel in use in the EU has to be biofuels. In this agreement, VW, Shell and Iogen are looking to produce a new biofuel called cellulose ethanol, which is produced from the straw and leaves of agricultural cereals. Two vehicles that run on biofuels are already sold in Europe at the moment. Saab launched its 9-5 Biopower saloon and estate models in November of last year. These run on a bioethanol mix known as E85 and Saab claims this fuel cuts carbon dioxide emissions by 70%.
Bioenthanol-powered cars could offer the best of both worlds. They can run on bioethanol (effectively alcohol derived from fermented cereal crops), petrol or any mixture of the two. The concept of bioethanol is simple. The crops grown to produce the renewable bio-fuel absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This almost cancels out the carbon dioxide produced when the fuel is burnt. An engine using bio-ethanol produces no sulphur and generates less carbon dioxide than an engine using petrol. Currently, Saab has BioPower version of its 9-5, Ford is selling the Focus Flexible Fuel Vehicle (FFV) and Renault has just released details for a Bio-Power Clio. In theory, this all sounds great, but just how useable is one of these bio-cars when compared to a petrol equivalent? Apart from the colorful livery on the car, there is no easy way to tell a bio-ethanol Focus from its conventional petrol sibling. Get in, turn the key, and drive off, and you won't notice anything different and you don't have to treat the car in any special way. The Focus FFV uses a 1.8-litre engine modified to cope with a mixture of ethanol and petrol. The engine constantly measures the combination of fuel in the tank and adjusts itself to get the best performance. That means you don't have to worry about what ratio you put in the tank -just fill up when you want to. Once you take into account that the crops grown to produce the ethanol have already absorbed carbon dioxide, the 1.8 FFV engine produces only 30% of the carbon dioxide emitted when running on petrol. Engine power is slightly improved when running purely on bioethanol, but only by five bhp you'll struggle to notice any real improvement.. Unlike LPG systems, there's no need for a separate fuel tank, hidden in the boot or spare wheel recess, so even luggage space isn't compromised. The Ford Focus FFV is priced between the existing 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre petrol-only models. As with any car in the Focus range, you can order it in LX, Sport, Zetec and Climate trim levels, and you can order from any Ford dealership. One area where the Focus FFV seems to let itself down is fuel economy. A tank of bioethanol will only take you about 200 miles and, according to the car's trip computer, this averages roughly 28mpg on a mixture of faster roads and urban driving.
Ford quotes an official combined fuel consumption of 40.4mpg for the FFV when run purely on petrol, but admits that will drop by up to 25% when you switch to bioethanol A litre of biofuel should be about 10 cent cheaper than unleaded. Drivers who use bioethanol currently pay 20% less fuel tax than for petrol and diesel, and company drivers will also pay slightly less road tax. Owning a biofuel car will not be practical yet around here, because it is almost impossible to get your hands on the fuel. However, in England last month, the supermarket chain Morrisons started selling biofuel and already has 10 stations up and running. Hopefully the large petrol companies in Ireland will add a pump to the forecorts. So, the future for bioethanol may look bright. Other parts of Europe are already keen on biofuel cars. In Sweden, 80% of all Ford Focus models sold are biofuel-ready, and Renault is claiming that by 2009, 50% of all its petrol-engined cars sold in Europe will be bio-powered. Currently all the bioethanol sold here is imported from Brazil, but the first two manufacturing plants are now being built in England, with production starting next year. The Ford Focus is one of the best small family cars on the market, and the FFV is a fine replacement for a conventional petrol model. Once more petrol stations stock the biofuel, and if the Government keeps the tax down, bioethanol cars could prove a real hit, especially as petrol prices are on a sharp incline.
Environmental.
Steps towards motoring without petrol and diesel came one stage closer recently, with Volkswagen, Shell and biotechnology firm Iogen agreeing to look into producing a new biofuel in Germany. A European Union directive on cutting greenhouse emissions means that by 2010, 5.75% of fuel in use in the EU has to be biofuels. In this agreement, VW, Shell and Iogen are looking to produce a new biofuel called cellulose ethanol, which is produced from the straw and leaves of agricultural cereals. Two vehicles that run on biofuels are already sold in Europe at the moment. Saab launched its 9-5 Biopower saloon and estate models in November of last year. These run on a bioethanol mix known as E85 and Saab claims this fuel cuts carbon dioxide emissions by 70%.
Bioenthanol-powered cars could offer the best of both worlds. They can run on bioethanol (effectively alcohol derived from fermented cereal crops), petrol or any mixture of the two. The concept of bioethanol is simple. The crops grown to produce the renewable bio-fuel absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This almost cancels out the carbon dioxide produced when the fuel is burnt. An engine using bio-ethanol produces no sulphur and generates less carbon dioxide than an engine using petrol. Currently, Saab has BioPower version of its 9-5, Ford is selling the Focus Flexible Fuel Vehicle (FFV) and Renault has just released details for a Bio-Power Clio. In theory, this all sounds great, but just how useable is one of these bio-cars when compared to a petrol equivalent? Apart from the colorful livery on the car, there is no easy way to tell a bio-ethanol Focus from its conventional petrol sibling. Get in, turn the key, and drive off, and you won't notice anything different and you don't have to treat the car in any special way. The Focus FFV uses a 1.8-litre engine modified to cope with a mixture of ethanol and petrol. The engine constantly measures the combination of fuel in the tank and adjusts itself to get the best performance. That means you don't have to worry about what ratio you put in the tank -just fill up when you want to. Once you take into account that the crops grown to produce the ethanol have already absorbed carbon dioxide, the 1.8 FFV engine produces only 30% of the carbon dioxide emitted when running on petrol. Engine power is slightly improved when running purely on bioethanol, but only by five bhp you'll struggle to notice any real improvement.. Unlike LPG systems, there's no need for a separate fuel tank, hidden in the boot or spare wheel recess, so even luggage space isn't compromised. The Ford Focus FFV is priced between the existing 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre petrol-only models. As with any car in the Focus range, you can order it in LX, Sport, Zetec and Climate trim levels, and you can order from any Ford dealership. One area where the Focus FFV seems to let itself down is fuel economy. A tank of bioethanol will only take you about 200 miles and, according to the car's trip computer, this averages roughly 28mpg on a mixture of faster roads and urban driving.
Ford quotes an official combined fuel consumption of 40.4mpg for the FFV when run purely on petrol, but admits that will drop by up to 25% when you switch to bioethanol A litre of biofuel should be about 10 cent cheaper than unleaded. Drivers who use bioethanol currently pay 20% less fuel tax than for petrol and diesel, and company drivers will also pay slightly less road tax. Owning a biofuel car will not be practical yet around here, because it is almost impossible to get your hands on the fuel. However, in England last month, the supermarket chain Morrisons started selling biofuel and already has 10 stations up and running. Hopefully the large petrol companies in Ireland will add a pump to the forecorts. So, the future for bioethanol may look bright. Other parts of Europe are already keen on biofuel cars. In Sweden, 80% of all Ford Focus models sold are biofuel-ready, and Renault is claiming that by 2009, 50% of all its petrol-engined cars sold in Europe will be bio-powered. Currently all the bioethanol sold here is imported from Brazil, but the first two manufacturing plants are now being built in England, with production starting next year. The Ford Focus is one of the best small family cars on the market, and the FFV is a fine replacement for a conventional petrol model. Once more petrol stations stock the biofuel, and if the Government keeps the tax down, bioethanol cars could prove a real hit, especially as petrol prices are on a sharp incline.
Environmental.
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