Vortex, V-power, Ultimate, Bio Ethanol – and the numbers: 91, 95 and 98, plus E10: Confusing, isn’t it? Which fuel should you really tip in your car?
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Petrol is liquid energy. As a fuel, it’s so damn good that few people even stop to consider you’re taking on board an astonishing two billion Joules of energy. Unfortunately, it's running out. Here are the alternatives.
Read MoreVerdict: Don’t bother
E10 petrol – a 10 per cent mix of ethanol in petrol – is a nice idea … but E10 petrol will not save you any money.
E10 petrol sounds like a smart idea - but unless you watch the price carefully you could easily get ripped off
Above: Typical ethanol marketing fluffNEED TO KNOW
- Petrol is derived from crude oil, a fossil fuel. It is a chemical hydrocarbon. (Actually it’s a collection of hydrocarbons.)
- Ethanol is manufactured, usually by fermentation, from plant products containing sugars and starches. Ethanol is an alcohol (actually it’s the same alcohol as the stuff in beer, wine and spirits).
- When you buy fuel, you’re buying a liquid form of energy. Unfortunately, ethanol
GM Holden’s release of the so-called ‘flex-fuel’ Commodore a couple of months back might be one of the crucial first steps in positive change for the future of automotive fuel in Australia. The flex-fuel Commodore can run on petrol – but it can also happily consume petrol-ethanol blends up to E85 (that’s 85 per cent ethanol in 15 per cent petrol). E85 is a big step up from E10, which is quickly becoming the default automotive fuel. And that means we’re looking down the barrel of becoming an increasingly ethanol-fuelled nation.
There’s been a lot of controversy about ethanol but the fact is ethanol blends in petrol are here to stay. Here in Australia, regular unleaded petrol is being phased out, to be replaced by E10 – a blend of 10 per cent ethanol in petrol.
Most cars can