CAPTION: First public E20 fuel pump opens in Germany. (picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild/Hendrik Schmidt)
The ethanol producer CropEnergies, which is based in Mannheim in the western German state of Baden-Württemberg, plans to offer the emission-saving fuel Super E20 for the first time at a public filling station in Germany. According to the company, however, the E20 pump will only be accessible to certain company fleets during the current trial phase, not to the general public. Until now, this offer of a higher, 20 percent bioethanol content has only been available at company filling stations on company premises, it said.
The German automobile club ADAC welcomes the progress made on E20. Compared with E5 and E10, greenhouse gas emissions from driving can be further reduced in an uncomplicated manner, it said. Super E10 offers a savings potential of up to three million tons of CO2 per year. "A higher blending rate of bioethanol, from the current maximum of 10 percent to up to 20 percent, would significantly increase the savings potential," said Karsten Schulze, ADAC's technology president.
According to the automobile club, the quality standard for gasoline must be adapted so that normal cars can also use the new fuel. This is also a challenge for politicians. Subsequently, car manufacturers would have to technically approve their vehicles for use.
However, the ADAC also sees the need to avoid the mistakes made when E10 was introduced in 2011. At the time, the gasoline industry alone was to blame for the E10 debacle. It had failed to inform motorists about its compatibility, which had caused uncertainty. "Last year, Super E10 accounted for just 24 percent of the gasoline market," the ADAC said. This means that only a fraction of the potential savings in emissions are being exploited.
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