Using less oil is a good thing. The major benefit if that if you are using waste/food derived ethanol, you are not adding (well, not adding so much) fossil-derived carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. You are not accumulating carbon dioxide. ie. net neutral.
Also, better for energy security.
As the price for fuel goes up, there may be more incentive to look at ways to convert ethanol to butanol, which has more energy (higher carbon:oxygen ratio) than ethanol (and less damaging to engines. The conventional approach is to use the Guerbet reaction, but this will also produce acetaldehyde, and the yield is only 80%. The alternative is to add an iridium catalyst, improving yied to 99%.
Butanol can entirely replace petrol in a car. Lot of work at the University of Bristol on this, and conversion of some corn syrup plants in the US to produce this.
The answer is not to look back to dinojuice, the use of which is the cause of a lot of our problems, both environmnetal, but also in terms of strategic threats. Mater artium necessitas.
No brainer for me, our daily a new model Vitara 1.6 always averaged about 44mpg, dropped to 36-37 on E10. Last three tankfuls with Tesco Momentum 99 Ron and back up to 44 and car runs far better. So about 70 miles extra a tank costing just £3.5 extra (50 LTRs X 7p dearer than E10) Can’t comment on the MX5 as still Sorned.
interesting times indeed.
the question is though.
will the the oil companys try to kill these alternatives in the cradle as they have in the past or will they move in to take over and monopolise the new alternatives?
only time will tell,
E5 Tesco, 99, MX5 Mk4. Don’t want water in my fuel system. Only do about 2000 miles a year. It’s like the unleaded scam. Remove the lead, add benzene poison
I have a 2002 MX-5 Mk 2.5 1.8. I have only ever used V Power, and since E10, this is now the only option. The other day I filled up and it was £1.64 per litre, bloody crazy prices. E10 apparently, because it’s a bio fuel, will rot poor quality rubber, so keep an eye on your fuel line!
E10 has been in use in the US since the early 1990s. Have vehicular fires been rising due to increased fuel line failures? In another thread, there is ample evidence that US spc NA Miatas have the same fuel lines as NA JDM Eunos Roadsters as NA UK MX5s.
From the MY2000 US spec Miata factory owners manual (NB, the wording in the 2001 NB-FL is identical)
You can also check Miataforum for literally 20 years of real world experience with 10% ethanol (and higher.
Its going to suck powr from your car, and NAs need all the horses they can get.
Its going to increase your fuel consumption a bit. But no one buys an MX5 to save money. My 1996 NA, pre-E10, got worse MPG han my 2004 V8 Jag.
It’s not going to damage your car (though I wouldn’t let the car sit over the winter with a full tank of E10).
No, 10% ethanol isn’t a problem.
All the gas stations here have been selling only gas with 10% ethanol for a couple of years. I think my mpg went from 34 to 33, but that’s about it (I have a '92).
Its all we can get in MN. Its been shoved down our throats for at least the last 10 years. Mileage is less but car runs fine.
Mazda UK are totally ignorant of the “issue”; I’ve asked them. All they do is parrot whatever they get from Japan.
Meanwhile, there is a Megathread going on this subject. We have had multiple threads on the topic on this forum for many many years:
Either way HMRC is laughing all the way to the bank. It’s getting more revenue from E10 because it gets fewer mpg, and more from E5 because people who switch are paying more.
I only use “Super” petrol, ie E5. This is in a 1 year old ND and my wifes brand new T-Cross. It is ridiculous the cost, but cannot do anything about it.
From an environmental point of view, E10 may be “better”, but if you use more, surely that counters the effect? Therefore is E10 actually a worse environmental option than E5?
Well, EMG came yesterday to collect the car at 8am do do the fuel pump recall replacement and it was back just after lunch all done. Everything OK, except they forgot to rethread the seat belts through the clips on the seat, 30 second job. They needed the car with minimal petrol (less than half full, maximum) so I had let it get low.
There was a creak/Rattle from the centre somewhere and that has disappeared so happy about that. Rear panels, centre plastics and passenger seat had to come out to replace the fuel pump.
Woke up this morning to news of £100 premium bond win so we went to breakfast for a treat. Got in the car and the low fuel light was on, so filled up with Tesco Supreme E5 for £60 but “enjoyed” £1.57 per litre (ouch!). Breakfast was £12.40
I always use 99 octane in my MX5 and motorcycle. Got a 7p per litre off voucher from morrisons only to discover they have removed E5 petrol from their pumps.
There is a very informative and eye opening video on “Engineering Explained” on YouTube. Well worth a look and the presenter has got a supercharged ND!
I would check your lawnmower/ garden petrol tools, I’ve read that people have had issues with carb rubbers failing using E10 and there are lots of “yes it does no it doesn’t” arguments. You tube has a big selection and also how to remove ethanol from petrol.
In the late 1990s I found V-Power (siphoned out the Vextra) helped a lot with starting the already ancient and reluctant Briggs & Stratton in the Qualcast Suffolk Turbo (why do so many things have Turbo in the name when obviously not?)
While we were isolating early in 2020, a very good friend picked up another can of fuel for it, and it was an utter pig to start, being E10. I gave up and paid a gardener to mow for a few months with his mower.
Siphoning the NC or the Mazda3 is impossible to do safely, so later in 2020 I put some more V-Power in the NC and filled our usual shed-can as well. Even with year-old V-power in the lawnmower, bingo, it starts first pull as usual.
in my fuel system. Only do about 2000 miles a year. It’s like the unleaded scam. Remove the lead, add benzene poison 
