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Does leaded petrol contain ethanol?
Does leaded petrol contain ethanol?
Asked on 17 June 2019 by B Henson
Answered by
Keith Moody
Ethanol was first used to power an engine in 1876 and fuelled Henry Ford's Model T. It was mixed with petrol during the war years because of fuel shortages and continued to be used in agricultural fuels, but it wasn't until cost and environmental concerns grew that lead was phased out and ethanol was added to modern fuel. Today's fuels contain around 5% ethanol - although 10% ethanol is on sale in Europe. Following a recent consultation, the Government has introduced a new fuel labelling system to better show drivers the right fuel for their vehicles. A recent Government report said, 'We are still looking closely at whether and how the UK could introduce E10 petrol. E10 contains up to 10% bioethanol and could help further reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of petrol vehicles. If and when it is introduced, consistent fuel labelling will help consumers to distinguish between E5 and E10. We will publish further details on our plans in relation to E10 later in 2019.' Older classic vehicles, especially ones that use carbs and traditonal rubber hoses, can suffer from running on E10 fuel. Problems include blocked fuel filters, damaged fuel pumps, degradation to flexible fuel hoses, corroded carburettors, as well as a host of running issue.
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