The future of fuelling
REGARDLESS of whether we will be part of a future EU, we’ll definitely be adopting Eu-wide petrol and diesel designations on UK forecourts by September 1. Petrol pumps will show a black circle on a white background with E5 inside it. Diesel will have a square with B7 inside. The designations have been in use for nearly two years in continental Europe.
The idea is to show drivers the proportion of bio-fuel contained in the petrol or diesel we’re putting into our tanks. So, E5 unleaded petrol has up to 5 per cent ethanol by volume, and B7 diesel has up to 7 per cent FAME (I’ll explain later) by volume. But none of this matters because it’s exactly the same fuel that we’ve been filling up with for ages, except now we can clearly see that our diesel fuel contains more renewable energy (reducing harmful emissions) than does petrol.
FAME, by the way, stands for Fatty Acid Methyl Ester, which is basically vegetable oils and animal fats. Ethanol in petrol is derived from plants, including corn. Both are considered renewable energy sources.
It’s the designations coming later that we need to be concerned about for
the sake of our engines. Proposed E10 unleaded petrol (doubling the percentage of ethanol, and reducing harmful emissions by a further 2 per cent) is ‘cleared for use’ in all petrol Land Rovers from 1996 model year, according to ACEA (European Automobile Manufacturers Association). However, there is general understanding that only cars built from 2011 can use E10, so until (if ever) this situation is clarified across the range of Rover and Ford petrol engine variants, I advise sticking with the current E5 petrol. For some engines, E10 poses an increased risk of damage to non-metallic engine and fuel components.
The position with future B10 diesel fuel is clearly understood: no Land Rovers are compatible, unless the vehicle has a B10 fuel identifier (a sticker near the fuel filler) stating otherwise. This will only be found on new vehicles, which will all carry an identifier.
This difference in the compatibilities of the E10 and B10 fuels is that methyl esters in the diesel variant absorb moisture which, combined with the nutrients in methyl ester, promotes the growth of microbes that produce mould and bacteria in the fuel which can cause blockages.
So stick with the tried and tested E5 petrol and B7 diesel, and all will be well with our older Land Rovers.