Cheaper and more environmentally friendly, E85 bioethanol is a fuel that is increasingly appealing to drivers around the world.
This green fuel, also known as superethanol, is derived from the agricultural sector and is, by definition, renewable energy. As its name suggests, it is an ethyl alcohol obtained by fermenting various sugars, particularly those found in beets.
But enough talk about ecology, let’s focus on the economy! E85 bioethanol is offered at around 0.70 euros per liter at the pump, which is almost twice as cheap as gasoline. The price of bioethanol is independent of gasoline, ensuring low fluctuations and reduced taxes. Its distribution is now available at nearly a thousand service stations in France.
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Are you convinced and ready to save €30 per tank while driving on E85?
So are we! We will now explain how to set up your car to accommodate this new type of fuel.
Because yes, it’s not just about choosing the E85 pump the next time you visit the gas station: not all cars are compatible, and the transition is not without risks.
To use E85 bioethanol in your vehicle, it must be compatible with flexible fuel. To check if your model is suitable, you can use the eflexfuel compatibility test.
If your vehicle is not compatible, there are two solutions to convert your car to flexible fuel:
Solution 1: Install a bioethanol kit
This first solution involves installing a Flex fuel bioethanol kit that will allow your engine to accommodate this new type of fuel. The bioethanol kit is only compatible with gasoline cars with multi-point injection engines. Its price depends on the type of vehicle and the number of engine cylinders, ranging from €700 to €1,300 for the installation of an approved E85 housing and modification of the vehicle’s registration document (mandatory).
The kit is positioned between the calculator and the injectors to change their behavior. This way, it is possible to tell the car to send more fuel to its injectors to compensate for the fact that bioethanol is less rich than gasoline. Most housing manufacturers guarantee the vehicle’s mechanics in case of failure after the installation of the kit.
However, be sure to inform yourself about the reputation of the kit before proceeding with the installation: some low-end kits can harm your car’s electronics. We recommend investing in a kit with an integrated fuel probe that allows you to measure the temperature and alcohol content of the fuel and adjust the injection accordingly.
Solution 2: Reprogram your car
This second solution involves reprogramming your car to directly control the injection. This is the most comprehensive method since the injected program will be able to gather all the information from your car to optimally adjust the injection level. The savings are even more interesting as reprogramming limits overconsumption, which is 25% with a kit compared to 15% with reprogramming. However, you will not be guaranteed once you resort to reprogramming. Therefore, it is a more effective solution but less regulated since you will lose your warranty.
What are the limitations for modifying your car to run on E85 bioethanol?
- End of manufacturer warranty as soon as a kit is installed or the onboard computer has been reprogrammed
- Overconsumption: since bioethanol is less rich than unleaded, consumption is higher: there is between 15 and 30% additional consumption.
- Not so green? Although bioethanol is renewable, it sometimes comes from intensive agriculture rather than food agriculture. It is therefore important to keep in mind that its carbon footprint is not entirely neutral.
Do you want to buy a flexible fuel vehicle instead of converting? Know that the conversion bonus offers a 40% reduction on CO2 emissions calculations for all vehicles running on Superethanol. Thus, a flexible fuel vehicle that emits 180 g CO²/km will benefit from a reduction of 72 g/km, for a total of 108 g/km, which is low enough to qualify for the bonus.
You are now informed about converting your car to Superethanol85.
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