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Above: Safeguard Ethanol Fuel Conditioner from Lucas Oils and in many cases, additives will be a simple solution.” This corrosion David Kaiser, Head of Research and Development at LIQUI MOLY observed: “Ethanol is hygroscopic, so it attracts water. This can cause corrosion in the tank and fuel system. The E10 additive by LIQUI MOLY contains highly effective corrosion protection, so it prevents damage to the tank or fuel system resulting from the higher water content. This makes it a good choice for any motorist who doesn't want to have to deal with the disadvantages of E10. However, there is one problem where this additive has its limitations. Ethanol can attack seals and hoses on some older vehicles. Unfortunately, this is something that cannot be influenced by an additive.” Colder According to Dr Dan Clarke, Global Head of Science and Technology at SulNOx Group, E10-related performance issues could get worse as it gets colder: “In cold weather, condensation occurs when water vapour comes in contact with a hot surface. This can happen in a fuel tank, as any space not filled up with fuel will be taken up by air containing water vapour. The main problem is that the additional bio-ethanol content in E10 prefers to mix with water as opposed to petrol and where there is sufficient of both, it leaves the petrol and combines with the water to form a separate layer at the bottom of the fuel tank. “The fuel line then draws from this watery alcohol mixture which is pumped directly into the engine. Equally, while petrol is very unlikely to freeze in the temperatures we typically experience in the UK, water condensation left in the empty fuel lines can easily freeze and prevent fuel from reaching the engine.” Drivers are saying E10 is having a negative impact on fuel economy. The RAC Foundation also estimates more than 634,000 cars on UK roads are incompatible with E10,150,000 of those built from the year 2000 onwards. Dr Clarke added: “The introduction of E10 in the UK is likely to have more of an impact on motorists than it has had in other countries which generally have a warmer climate. Preventing this separate watery alcohol phase from forming is the key to removing the problems associated with E10, and drivers can avoid these issues by adding SulNOxEco Petrol Conditioner each time they fill up.” New energy Considering everything we have heard thus far, is E10 a good idea at all? Andrew Marsh FIMI, Director at Auto Industry Consulting commented: “This has been a long time coming, but as you will know by now not all vehicles after 2000 were created equal. The eco-argument is by growing crops and then processing them, the resulting ethanol emitted less CO2, and so is saving the planet – at least that’s what the government claims. It matters little that this point is highly debateable, since there are unfortunate side effects.” Andrew continued, with a history lesson: “Many countries around the world have used fuel for petrol engines derived from agriculture crop waste such as cane sugar stems, in order to reduce dependence on expensive oil imports. This was an economic strategy, aimed at minimising loss of precious foreign exchange. Brazil started to use ethanol- blended petrol from the 1930s, with the manual re-calibration of the fuel as well as ignition systems. The advent of O2 sensors, spark ionisation detection feedback and knock detection sensing, wrapped in integrated fuel injection/ignition engine management systems, allowed engines built after the 1990s to run on multiple grades of fuel. However, the following points need to be considered. “Reduction of the energy density of the fuel by greater proportion of ethanol leads to a slight loss of performance. This is compounded by the different burn characteristics, which results in a small increase in fuel consumption. “Low concentrations of alcohol, ethanol in this case, when combined with high rates of fuel recirculation and long-term storage, can create peroxides in the fuel. These cut through the cross-linked bonds between molecules of rubber. This degradation mechanism requires different 10 AFTERMARKET NOVEMBER 2021 BIG ISSUE www.aftermarketonline.net Below: E10 additive by LIQUI MOLY