Don’t panic! CJ has not transformed into a tabloid publication dealing in scare stories, in the past ‘problems’ such as lead removal and sulphur in petrol have been overstated and their effects both potential and actual, misreported. Prompted partly out of the number of reader questions received and a degree of disquiet around the clubs, we have decided to investigate the addition of ethanol to petrol and the ensuing effect it is likely to have on our Jaguars. The acquisition of facts, however, proves to be a little problematic. Some manufactures of vehicles, components and fuels playing their cards close to their corporate chests, for fear of incurring some future liability if attributable problems develop.
WHAT IS ETHANOL?
Ethanol is a form of alcohol that possesses properties suitable for it to be employed as an ‘alternative fuel’ in internal combustion engines. It is derived from ‘biomass’ (plants and crops) and hence is considered ‘renewable or sustainable‘. The terms ‘bio and eco-fuel’ have thus beenand E10 – unsurprisingly, 5 and 10% ethanol content respectively. Existing engines are capable of running on these latter concentrations, in simplistic terms E5 is largely undetectable, higher percentages more so.