Older car owners hit by E10 switch
Owners of vintage and classic cars on Arran, and even those with old petrol lawnmowers, have been left with no fuel supplies since the introduction of E10 petrol at the start of last month.
E10, which contains 10 per cent bioethanol, will work on 95 per cent of modern vehicles and engines, however those that are not compatible need to use E5 (containing five per cent bioethanol) which is not available from any petrol provider on Arran.
The introduction of E10 petrol on Wednesday September 1 is part of a UK Government strategy to reduce greenhouse gas to net zero by 2050.
The changeover to E10 is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by two per cent and an approximate one per cent reduction in fuel performance can be expected by motorists.
It is not all bad news though, as most petrol combustion engines can still work with E10, however, long term use is discouraged as it can lead to rubber fuel components perishing over time.
Another alternative is to use a higher octane fuel, such as super unleaded, which is once again not available on Arran, but it can be purchased at mainland forecourts for roughly 8.7p a litre more than standard petrol according to AA figures. A petrol provider on Arran told the Banner: ‘There are no E5 providers on Arran as we all purchase our petrol from the Grangemouth oil and petrol refinery which does not supply E5 petrol.
‘Those with cars manufactured before 2000 and machines which require higher octane fuel, unfortunately have no options on Arran and the likelihood of it being provided is relatively slim as the demand for it is just not great enough to justify providing it.’