German motorists still wary about E10

A recent survey of German motorists by ethanol association BDBE shows that most are still hesitate when it comes to using gasoline-ethanol blend E10.

Seven out of 10 motorists interviewed still fear E10 will damage their engines and only 33% have ever filled their cars with it compared with using the older Super E5 fuel option.

‘If at least 90% of German gasoline engines are suitable for E10, but two-thirds of car users still doubt this, then it is up to the car makers to inform their customers at the filling stations and the car repair shops and not simply put out general information,’ says BDBE MD Dietrich Klein.

The south of the country has embraced E10 more than its northern neighbours however, with 38% of gasoline cars using the higher blend compared to the north’s 26%.

‘Uptake of E10 is still better than the uptake of unleaded petrol when it was introduced in the 1980s however,’ adds Klein. ‘E10 has a market share of around 13% after one year of availability, compared to a 10% market share of unleaded gasoline two years after its introduction.’