Add more ethanol to fuel to cut carbon

The All-Party Parliamentary Group for British Bioethanol has suggested adding more ethanol to the UK's fuel mix to help cut carbon by as much as taking 700,000 cars off the roads.

The group of MPs said that the swift introduction of E10 fuel, a mixture of 10 per cent ethanol with 90 per cent petrol, would also help the £1 billion British biofuel industry.

The sales of fuel changed in the wake of the diesel emissions scandal in 2015, which also saw a a jump in the sales of petrol cars. Together, this has contributed to the first increase in emissions of CO2 from new cars in two decades.

France introduced E10 fuel in 2009 and last year it was the largest volume petrol grade sold, with 47 per cent of the market. Germany, Belgium and Finland have also introduced E10, with other countries including China and India set to do the same.

The report, Inquiry on the Introduction of E10 in the UK, says that while electric cars and vehicles are the long-term solution to emissions from transport in the UK, E10 represents a big advance that could be achieved right now.  

Nic Dakin, chairman of the all-party group, said: “For many reasons it is absolutely a no-brainer. On the environmental front, it's a cleaner, greener fuel at a time when we're trying to address air pollution and tackle climate change.

"Cars aren't going to all switch to battery power overnight and if they did there isn't the capacity in the National Grid to power all of our transportation. This must be a top priority for the government and we renew our call for a mandate to introduce E10 by 2020 at the latest."