Tag Archives: alternative fuels

Ethanol in petrol – is it ok for my car?

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This is the second blog in our series on Fuels.  In the first blog we looked at premium fuels, now we take a look at ethanol in petrol (E10 and E85).

ethanol in petrol

Does an ethanol petrol blend affect the performance of your car?

E10

E10 is standard unleaded petrol (ULP) with 10% ethanol added. From 1 July next year (2012) standard unleaded petrol will no longer be available in NSW and will be replaced with E10. This strategy is endorsed by the NRMA Board and aims to encourage the take-up of ethanol – which is locally produced and reduces Australia’s dependence on fossil fuels.  Straight unleaded is now getting harder to find.

Vehicles built pre-1986, some post-1986 vehicles, most small engines such as chainsaws and whipper-snippers and most Japanese motorcycles are recommended NOT to use ethanol. These vehicles and power tools will have to use premium petrol when ULP becomes unavailable.

Motorists whose vehicles cannot use ethanol should be aware that all petrol distributed by United contains ethanol except its Premium 98. View a list of all petrol grades available in NSW.

The octane of E10 is commonly 93-94, so motorists whose vehicles are specified for 95 octane fuel should be cautious using E10. If you want to try E10 check that there are no unusual noises like rattling or pinging under acceleration, which is a sign that the octane is too low.  United claims its E10 is 95 octane.

Check whether your vehicle is suitable to use an ethanol petrol blend.

A refuel of 50 litres at a price difference of 10 cents a litre between E10 and premium would cost an extra $5.   But this has to be kept in perspective with the overall cost of running a vehicle.

E85

You should not use E85 in any vehicle that is not designed for it. The only cars designed for E85 are the current model Holden Commodores that are so marked and the Saab Biofuel range.  For other vehicles, check the recommendation in the owner’s manual or check with the dealer or manufacturer and adopt their recommendation.

In our next blog, we’ll take a look at Diesel.

Do you use an ethanol petrol blend in your car? What affect has it had on your car’s performance and reliability?

Would you buy an Electric Vehicle?

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electric vehicle NRMA

Would you buy an electric vehicle now or wait?

 

Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming increasingly popular – the Mitsubishi i-MiEV is available to selected customers on a lease-only arrangement (ie you can’t buy one outright), and the Nissan Leaf and the Holden Volt are reportedly being released over the next year (the Volt is not a pure EV, as it has a small petrol engine to charge the battery when it gets low, called an Extended Range Electric Vehicle – EREV).

The current and predicted prices for these vehicles are relatively high for their size, around $50,000 or more but we expect that prices should come down over time as demand increases.

The good news is running costs should be low (even with electricity prices increasing) and servicing costs for pure EVs should be less than a conventional vehicle (given the simplicity of an electric motor compared with an internal combustion engine).

Pure EVs also produce no local emissions and if charged by electricity from a renewable resource, would have low environmental impact overall.

NRMA has an i-MiEV in its fleet and found the on-road performance to be satisfactory – the range being 100-120kms between charges.

Would you consider purchasing an EV now or would you wait until price and range were equivalent to conventional vehicles?

* NRMA is hosting a number of Electric Vehicle Roadshows around NSW during July and August.

Unleaded petrol now phased out in 2012

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The NSW Government has recently extended the phase-out date of standard unleaded petrol (ULP) to 30 June 2012 (previously 30 June 2011).  This was in response to a possible shortage in supplies of ethanol.  This means that ULP may remain available well into 2012.

Before using E10, vehicle owners must check if an ethanol blend is suitable for their vehicle – this information can be found in the owner’s manual, by contacting NRMA Motoring Advice and on the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries website.

For cars that cannot use E10, premium-grade unleaded petrol without ethanol will continue to be available.

Our May 2010 blog post about unleaded petrol contained several comments that owners found their vehicle had much higher fuel consumption when using E10 compared with ULP.  If your vehicle is in good condition you should not experience much more than the theoretical 3% increase in fuel consumption.

However, if you try E10 and experience an unusually high impact on fuel consumption, here are some possible causes and things you can do about them:

  • Was there water in your fuel tank from earlier contaminated petrol?  If so, the E10 will take the water into solution and your car may run roughly until the first tank of E10 is used up.
  • Is your fuel filter clogged?  Ethanol is a powerful solvent and may loosen residues in your fuel system.  Try changing the fuel filter after the first couple of tanks of E10.
  • Is your ignition system in good condition?  A slightly misfiring spark plug may be exacerbated by E10 leading to a severe misfire and increase in fuel consumption.  If you feel your vehicle is running roughly, have your vehicle serviced if it has not been done recently.
  • Is there an engine check or warning light showing on your dash?  Your engine management system and fuel injection system need to be in good condition.  Modern vehicles are designed to monitor oxygen in the exhaust and should be able to adjust to E10.  However a malfunctioning oxygen sensor or other component may mean that your vehicle is not achieving this.  Have your vehicle serviced if it has not been done recently.

What has been your experience with using E10?  Does the extension of the phase-out date of ULP help you?

Diesel – a greener fuel option?

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Since 1 January 2009, diesel fuel has had to meet strict fuel quality standards, now producing a significantly lower amount of sulphur than both ULP and PULP.

National fuel standards

National standards regulating fuels that impact the environment first came into effect in January 2002, brought in to reduce the amount of toxic pollutants in emissions.

Initially, diesel’s sulphur standard was set at 500 parts per million (ppm). As of 1 January 2009, this was reduced to a maximum of 10 ppm.

How does this compare?

From 1 January 2005, the maximum amount of sulphur ULP (91.0 RON) could contain was set at 150 ppm.

Since 1 January 2008, PULP’s (95.0 RON) maximum sulphur is 50 ppm.

Is it time diesel lost its ‘dirty’ reputation?

New generation turbo-diesels have particulate filters which further reduce the amount of particulate (soot) produced in the vehicle’s emissions. On top of that, these new generation diesels are proven to go further on less. For instance, BMW’s new diesel powered 1-series, on sale now, returns less than 5 litres per 100km and emits just 126g of CO2 per kilometer.

The first diesel-fuelled Subaru to be offered in Australia, the Subaru Outback, will be on sale in November this year, and diesel models of the 2010 Mazda CX-7, 2011 Ford Territory and Peugeot’s new 407 are all on the way. It is clear that more and more new car models are being offered with ‘clean’ diesel alternatives.

Coupled with the particulate filter and the new, stringent sulphur emission standards, diesel might just be a viable, greener fuel alternative.

Does diesel still have a ‘dirty’ reputation? Have you thought of diesel as a greener fuel option?

For the full list of diesel quality standards, visit The Federal Government’s Environment website.

What have you done since petrol prices dropped?

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Last year, just as the price of petrol was beginning to drop from highs of over $1.70 per litre, we asked how you were dealing with high petrol prices. But now, despite predictions the drop was temporary and it would only continue to rise, the price has fallen, and significantly.

In the past we’ve published blogs about ethanol in petrol, discussed using premium unleaded, fuel alternatives, the benefits of car pooling and the price of diesel, looked at Hybrid technology and asked what you thought about making Sydney’s CBD car free. The Howard Government initiated an LPG grant of $2000 for those who wished to convert their cars from petrol to gas or $1000 to put towards a brand new LPG-powered vehicle, and we asked if you took up the offer. 

All were prompted by the debate surrounding the high price of petrol.

During the period of extreme petrol prices, the Rudd Government initiated a Fuel Watch scheme to ensure road users were not being ripped off by petrol companies and service station owners.

The number of people using public transport rose to its highest rate in almost 10 years and 2008 saw motorcycles sell in record numbers, increasing by 3.2 per cent on the record set in 2007.

Then, at the end of last year, we saw petrol at its lowest price in almost a decade, falling below $1.00. On the day of writing, the lowest price of the day was 108.9 cents per litre.

So what did you do when prices were high and what have you done since they dropped?