New research reveals benefits of adopting E85

100% renewable Superethanol-E85 could act as an alternative to fossil fuels to cut back on CO2 emissions in road transport as well as emissions of regulated pollutants, according to ePURE.
New research points to 100% renewable Superethanol-E85 as a viable replacement for fossil fuels to reduce carbon dioxide emissions produced by transport.
While the European Union adopted a regulation in 2023 which would effectively prevent the sale of new cars emitting fossil-based CO2 from the tailpipe as from 2035, against the backdrop of concerns regarding all-electric vehicles, a window of opportunity remains open to define carbon-neutral fuels.
The ethanol industry believes the scope of carbon-neutral fuels should include sustainable biofuels, provided it can be demonstrated that these solutions are as climate-friendly as all-electric solutions.
Research conducted by the Systems Simulations, Analyses & Experimentations Department within IFPEN’s Mobility & Systems Division tested three types of 100% renewable Superethanol-E85 mixing bioethanol with three types of renewable fuel, in a flex-fuel commercial vehicle compatible with E85.
These new findings show that, compared to the limits specified in current Euro 6 light passenger and commercial vehicle emissions standard, Superethanol–E85’s excellent performance was maintained and even improved with the new 100% renewable mixes.
The research shows that Superethanol-E85 and these new mixes will meet the requirements of the new Euro 7 vehicle emissions standard, applicable as from late 2026.
An IFPEN paper published in 2022 showed that the environmental performance of plug-in hybrid vehicles running on 100% renewable Superethanol-E85 was at least equivalent to that of all-electric vehicles, especially for plug-in hybrid compact cars, depending on the type of use, in terms of total GHG emissions, when analysing the life cycle, both today and in 2040.
Given concerns regarding all-electric solutions and in synergy with mobility needs in various industries (aviation, shipping and haulage), 100% renewable Superethanol-E85 is an additional solution helping to eliminate the need for fossil fuel in new vehicles post 2035. Combining bioethanol and petrol type hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO), 100% renewable Superethanol-E85 is already available in California where it accounts for a third of the volumes of E85 sold. It could be deployed in France ahead of the 2035 deadline.