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Seems the EEC/Government is planning to brings us more E10!

http://cars.aol.co.uk/2013/03/12/eu-s-n ... d%3D162394

Although they actually state that it could damage some engines!

I wonder what the original source of that is; that article links to a Daily Mail report; both cite a Chatham House 'report', but neither item gives the source of the 'information' that the UK has definitely "signed up to an EU directive which says suppliers must dilute petrol with environmentally-friendly alternatives such as ethanol made from corn", and neither gives a source for the implication that the EU is pressing ahead with the wider introduction of E10.

Both contradict a report last autumn, which stated that the EU was intending to cap the ethanol content of petrol at 5% , and would change the 2009 Renewable Energy Directive and the 1998 Fuel Quality Directive.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19982214

I can't find anything relating to this in the last 6 months on either Chatham House's Facebook page, or on the Chatham House 'Reports and Papers' area of their website.

I can't help but think this is, at least in part, a typical bit of EU-bashing, using re-hashed old news.

"The European Fuel Quality Directive* requires that member states of the European Union must ensure that sufficient volumes of today’s petrol are available for vehicles that are not compatible with the use of E10 petrol. "

http://www.acem.eu/index.php/policy-acc ... onment/e10

If this is correctly reported, then we shouldn't have to worry about E10, at least for the time being.


*
Directive 2009/30/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 amending Directive 98/70/EC as regards the specification of petrol, diesel and gas-oil and introducing a mechanism to monitor and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and amending Council Directive 1999/32/EC as regards the specification of fuel used by inland waterway vessels and repealing Directive 93/12/EEC, Official Journal of the European Union L140, 5.6.2009, p.88.

Shame they don't have a similar requirement for E5 too !

Can only think that the long term future is not hopeful - I bet many of our older bikes will still be running after "they" have decided this no longer needs to be supported.

I quite agree, Andy. But at least it's not quite as bad - yet - as some of the scaremongering would have had us believe.

I'm rather disappointed by the absence, as yet, of a large, loud, unified voice raised against the ethanol issue. I know a number of special-interest groups, such as MAG, classic car groups, have spoken against the wider use of ethanol; but individually, such organisations are too small to have much of an impact on legislators. As this issue affects such a large quantity of diverse equipment - bikes, cars, boats, horticultural and forestry machinery, perhaps agricultural machinery too - a larger body, representing all affected users, is needed. In the UK alone, estimates of the number of vehicles potentially affected range from 8 to 10 million; and that doesn't include other machines. I realise it's probably not the ideal body for this, but I've been contemplating approaching the Consumers' Association with this; can't think of any other organisation likely to be interested.

Oh, by the way, even Friends of The Earth are now saying greater use of bio-fuel is a bad idea.

http://www.foe.co.uk/news/cost_of_biofuels_34774.html

Yes - I've also heard it's energy negative to produce (requires more energy to make than you end up with from it).

The group I've been meaning to interest is FairFuelUK - the group that has coordinated the fight against fuel tax rises. They have quite a large base and a track-record of success in challenging the government.

http://www.fairfueluk.com/

I've never got round to contacting them but think I should ..... but I think it'll take more people than me contacting them to get action.

Perhaps if we can agree which organisation(s) to aim for, we could get the ridersite membership to send emails and letters within a period of a few weeks. If they receive enough then maybe they'll start to consider?

Yes, I think FairFuelUK would be a good organisation to speak to. There is also a Veteran/Vintage vehicle association (whose name escapes me) who might know what action is being coordinated.

I think I've read somewhere that the FairFuel guys are aware of the ethanol issue. Might be wrong though.

MartDude wrote:
Oh, by the way, even Friends of The Earth are now saying greater use of bio-fuel is a bad idea.

http://www.foe.co.uk/news/cost_of_biofuels_34774.html

Sure, but FOE seem to think thet the use of any fuel is a bad idea. They would have us riding donkeys

So if you all are worried, maybe its time to go diesel

Gio wrote:So if you all are worried, maybe its time to go diesel

What so all our Falcos sound like Harleys??

For what it's worth E10 95 RON unleaded fuel is now the norm in France. On the way down through France last month every petrol station I stopped at had E10 95 octane, with no E5 or less 95 octane available.

I used the 98/99 octane stuff...

jonnie_r wrote:

Gio wrote:So if you all are worried, maybe its time to go diesel

What so all our Falcos sound like Harleys??

Well they are getting a bit long in the tooth