The big question at the pump: fill up with E10 or better not?
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Increasingly more drivers are turning to Super E10 at the pump in order to save money. After all, in some places it’s up to five cents cheaper than "normal" Super. That's incentive enough to fill up with the (still) rather unpopular ethanol-fuel mixture. The readiness for E10 is growing – and yet it has not had the best reputation since its introduction in 2011. Right? kfzteile24 takes a closer look at petrol with a biofuel content of up to 10% and explains why, contrary to all misconceptions, you can fill up with it without any problems. The two main arguments: you save money but also the environment.
The Federal Association of the German Bioethanol Industry (BDB) estimates that around one quarter of Germans filled up with E10 biofuel in 2022. A considerable increase – the E10 component of petrol sales in the previous years was still considerably lower at 17.1 and 14%. But the eco-fuel mixture is still under criticism. The list of misconceptions is long.
“All petrol cars from 2010 suitable for E10”
Many car owners are convinced that their car will not tolerate E10 and fear corrosion damage to aluminium parts or porous seals in the fuel lines. However, the association of the automotive industry can help alleviate this concern: “All models that have been produced from November 2010 and sold in Germany from 2012 can tolerate E10. They can thus be refuelled with the more environmentally friendly fuel without hesitation.” Many vintage cars and modern-era classics also tolerate the eco-fuel mixture. If your vehicle appears on the compatibility list, E10 can be used without hesitation.
So that means: filling up with E10 has no effect on functional reliability, service life, and wear of individual parts. This is also confirmed by the foremen of the kfzteile24 workshops. They have not yet encountered any damage to E10-compatible cars that can be traced back to the fuel.
No considerably increased consumption
A widespread opinion is that consumption with E10 is higher than with conventional premium petrol. Although it is possible under certain circumstances, it does not carry so much weight that it actually has a financial impact. One litre of E10 contains less energy than a litre of Super. The additional consumption is about 1.7%. Most of the time it is even lower.
But even if the car consumes this proportion more, it is cheaper to drive with E10 because the cost savings at the pump compensate for the additional consumption. The ADAC has determined that switching to E10 is worthwhile from a price difference of 3 cents per litre.
No problem for parking heaters
Those who are concerned about their auxiliary heating also have nothing to fear. Regardless of whether it is installed as standard or retrofitted, E10 proves to be unproblematic for the heating in most cases. For systems installed ex works, the E10 approval rests with the vehicle manufacturer. A query is recommended. However, if the car was built after 2010, it should be compatible.
With retrofitted systems, it can be assumed that well-known brand manufacturers have tested them with E10 fuel. For example, Webasto certifies E10 compatibility for all petrol-powered heaters from the Thermo Top Z/E/C/P product families, which were introduced from around 1997, and for Thermo Top Evo.
E10 makes a contribution to climate protection
The name already reveals the biggest difference between the two super variants: E10 contains up to 10% ethanol; the rest is petrol from fossil-based raw materials. With Super (E5), there is only up to 5% ethanol and around 95% petrol from petroleum. With E10, however, only bioethanol may be used. The advantage: compared with E5 fuel, it emits at least 35% less greenhouse gases. Compliance is regulated by law and is monitored.
Bioethanol consists of 90% grain and sugar beet. Through photosynthesis, the plants absorb CO₂ from the environment as they grow. When the ethanol is burned in the car, CO₂ is emitted. This equates to the amount that the plants previously absorbed during growth. This creates a climate-neutral CO₂ cycle. A big plus for the environment.
“Plate instead of tank”: biofuel is to be gradually banned
Biofuels are currently indispensable for climate protection in transport. In 2021, biodiesel, bioethanol and biomethane reduced CO₂ emissions in transport by around 11.1 million tons. This enabled the mineral oil industry to meet the German greenhouse gas reduction quota. For comparison: e-mobility saved just under 25,000 tons of CO₂ in the same period.
Against this background, it is difficult to understand why some politicians are questioning the importance and future of biofuels and want to gradually ban biofuels from the market by 2030. They are thus following in the footsteps of environmental organisations. Their main point of criticism: the area under cultivation for bioethanol should be used for something else – namely to grow food.
However, the legislature has considered this and issued rules for the production of bioethanol. According to the BDB, only 2% of the arable land and 4% of the grain harvest in Germany are used for the production of bioethanol. Bioethanol also hardly competes with food production worldwide.
Making combustion engines climate-neutral with biofuel?
However, combustion cars can be made only a little bit more climate-friendly with biofuels. You can’t get them completely climate-neutral. If you disregard production, climate-neutrality can be achieve only in a purely electric car. But scrapping millions of functioning combustion engines prematurely is just as unsustainable and should not be the goal.
Is this the big opportunity for alternative fuels? They are made from biomass or based on green hydrogen and thus offer promising solutions to the mobility dilemma. With the right technologies, they can even be produced in a climate-neutral manner. However, the development is a lengthy process that is progressing slowly. It has also become a major political issue.
