Almost all Fords sold in Germany can run on E10
Like other companies, Ford has released a note stating that all Ford cars in Germany can run on E10. This blend of 10 percent ethanol into 95 RON unleaded gasoline will be standard in all German pumps starting in January 2009. There is, however, one exception: any Ford Mondeo 1.8 SCis built between 2004 and 2006. These models featured direct-injection technology that can't cope with the ethanol blend. The note was released so that Ford owners feel comfortable when they're at the pump. While adding a small percentage of ethanol to gasoline is a common thing in the U.S., it isn't in Europe, and so motorists there have expressed hesitation with the biofuel.
[Source: Ford]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
brn 9:04PM (3/20/2008)
E10 has been mandatory in Minnesota for years. In fact, they're looking at upping it to E20.
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rgseidl 9:35PM (3/20/2008)
100% of Euro91 and Euro95 fuel currently dispensed by German pumps is E5. The environment minister wants to raise that to E10 in 2009, but a TBD number of legacy vehicles is not compatible with this higher ethanol content. One by one, manufacturers are now publishing the results of their due diligence research.
Politically, the problem is thorny because the only alternative is Euro98, which contains no ethanol at all but costs ~10% more per liter than either Euro91 and Euro95. Note that high demand for regular unleaded in the US means these two grades now cost basically the same, so Euro91 is being phased out.
Even if you consider that E10 blends contain 6% less energy by volume, that still means some motorists will end up paying more per km. For those who purchased a vehicle designed for Euro91 because it was the cheapest grade at the time, this represents a double whammy. Note that their engines usually can't take advantage of the higher octane rating of Euro98.
The episode underlines the importance of seeding the ethanol market years ahead of time by giving manufacturers incentives - or direction - to ship most of their gasoline vehicles with fuel system components that are tolerant of high blends such as E85. Depending on whom you ask, the incremental cost is $40-$100 per vehicle, a premium most new car buyers don't even notice.
The US provided a loophole in CAFE as an incentive, which manufacturers were keen to exploit but did not advertise to their customers until recently. Many are still unaware that they own an FFV. Even those that do often don't have the option - or the inclination - to fill up on E85, which is more expensive per mile and environmentally questionable if made from corn kernels.
European politicians failed to prepare for ethanol and are now faced with technical issues in raising blend fractions, on top of growing concerns about the environmental impact of first-generation biofuels. They would be wise to stick with E5 for the time being but insist on general E85 compatibility on all gasoline cars starting in MY2010. This will prepare the fleet for blends containing cellulosic ethanol and/or butanol *just in case* these become economically viable in industrial quantities. Much the same applies for B99 compatibility and the possibility of algal oil.
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MikeW 2:26PM (3/21/2008)
6% ? That should be E20.
E10, The mileage loss on a pure BTU basis it is 3.25%, but figure +/- 0.25% depending on vehicle variability.
Only in the US is 91AKI considered 'premium'
If they are going to put 10% ethanol [fine, it is better than MTBE] raise the AKI per grade, so that the 3.25% loss in mileage is made up for, by allowing you to purchase the next lower grade, which should be cheaper by 3.25% (more/less)
Since the US bottom is higher, 87AKI, let the screwing continue there. [I don't purchase regular, sorry]
Raise mid-grade from 89 to 90AKI
Raise premium from 91 to 93AKI
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