Ethanol coming to French gas stations, but resistance is loud
In April, France will start selling ethanol blended at a 10 percent ratio into unleaded gasoline (aka, E10). This is two years in advance of when the European mandatory biofuel blends come into effect. France might need the extra time, since it is not looking like it will be an easy transition. For one thing, big oil companies started to complain. First, French giant Total stated that the distribution of E10 was too expensive, but they will still offer it at 4,000 pumps before the end of the year. Carrefour, one of the largest French supermarkets, has only confirmed that 24 of its 1,200 pumps will offer E10. The French government's response was to restate its desire to have 75 percent of gas stations in the country have at least one E10 pump, and threatening fines for companies that don't install pumps.
In France, E10 is subject to the same taxation rate as Unleaded 95. However, the French government subsidizes the difference between the cost of gasoline and ethanol with a tax break of €210/m3 for ethanol. This results in a tiny, 1-cent-per liter difference in the price at the pump. At least all gasoline cars sold in Europe since 2000 have been E10 compatible.
[Source: Le Blog Auto]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Brn 7:23PM (3/25/2009)
Of the many possible gripes against ethanol, I only saw one in that article. It says that the distribution of E10 is too expensive. Why does E10 cost any more to distribute than E0?
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-M.Dub 12:26AM (3/26/2009)
Why not also give consumers the choice between E10 and regular?
Carney 1:34PM (3/27/2009)
This approach, of force-feeding ethanol to gasoline cars and stations, is ineffective, counterproductive, and unnecessary.
Ineffective because we in the USA have been doing the same thing for years and yet have not freed ourselves from oil, even foreign oil. And although it was mitigated, the economy-wrecking gas price spike of the last several years was not prevented by E10. And of most interest to greens, oil consumption, while again being mitigated, has also still gone up steadily, with all the negative environmental effects that has.
Counterproductive because people resent being force-fed things, even when it's good for them. An anti-ethanol backlash as described in the article is an inevitable result, making the transition to an alcohol economy and away from a petroleum economy harder.
And unnecessary because there's a less controversial and more effective way to increase alcohol use and reduce gasoline: mandate that all new cars sold be fully flex fueled - able to run with equal ease on gasoline or any alcohol fuel. Within 3 years or so alcohol compatible cars would have enough market share for gas stations to make money on switching pumps to alcohol, especially with Europe's sky high gas taxes enabling stations to mark up ethanol and methanol to just below the gasoline level but with far fatter profit margins.
Drivers at last get a choice in the fuel they can use (rather than being forced), and will flock to cheaper alcohol; fuel stations are happy; the air and water become much cleaner -- the only losers are the petro-tyrannies and the terrorists they fund.
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