Ethanol fuel 'a much safer, cleaner product': NSW govt

25/05/2012 - The NSW government has unveiled plans to promote ethanol fuel, saying if it's good enough for V8 Supercars it's good enough for a clapped-out Commodore.

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Ethanol fuel is made using grains and often blended with regular unleaded to produce a greener type of petrol.

In future the NSW government wants six per cent of all fuel consumption to come from ethanol.

But motorists are reluctant to use ethanol because they think it's unsafe, Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner said.

"You may not know it but the V8 Supercars run on 100 per cent ethanol," he told reporters in Sydney on Thursday.

"This is a safe product, it's a much cleaner product, we think there are numerous benefits for our state in terms of environmental health and economic benefits."

Stoner said there were two reasons motorists don't reach for ethanol at the bowser.

"One is the price differential; some of these fuel companies are not passing on the benefit of federal tax breaks on ethanol," he added.

"And secondly there was a campaign some years ago run against ethanol by the same fuel companies that were promoting biofuels overseas."

Stoner said the government will now work with the ethanol industry and petrol producers to try and promote the benefits of ethanol.

It comes after a report by NSW Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) found there was enough ethanol out there to meet current demands.

But the report found there was not enough to meet the government's six per cent target.

Source: AAP

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Have your say...

Mr T | 25/05/2012 11:18 1

"The NSW government has unveiled plans to promote ethanol fuel, saying if it's good enough for V8 Supercars it's good enough for a clapped-out Commodore." Exactly the same engine - with the same tune etc. Mr Stoner - you are a ..... stoner. (And ethanol runs stoichiometric ratio around 9.0:1 compared to 14.7:1 for petrol - a fair bit of economy difference there, and there is the moral/ethical problem of turning food into fuel when there is an abundance of hydrocarbons etc and people are starving .... all minor matters to a d/h politician).

Ken Gibbons | 25/05/2012 12:56 2

Andrew Stoner does not know much about cars or other petrol engines. V8 Supercars are racing cars NOT road cars.Many racing cars have used alcohol fuel for many years because it enables very high compression ratios to be used and has a cooling effect on these engines. All their engine components are deseigned to be compatible with alcohol. This is not so for many older cars and other engines. Alcohol fuels have several problems wich make them UNSAFE for some engines. One is that alcohol is hygoscopic so fuel left standing absorbs water which can then condense out and lie in the bottom of the tank where the pickup is and pass to the fuel system and the engine will not run on water! This is a real safety problem for marine engines. At present E10 standard fuel cannot be used in these engines and expensive premium fuel must be used. Some users are unaware of this and risk serious problems by using the cheapest fuel available. Alcohol fuels have other problems for some engines. Some fuel system components can be damaged by alcohol and on some cars valves can be damaged because the engine runs lean which causes higher combustion temperatures. Thus not only can the fuel be unsafe but low income car owners who cannot afford newer cars must pay more for their fuel. Many of these problems do not show up immediately so the users do not realise that a problem is developing.

A. Ellison | 25/05/2012 17:05 3

Is it good enough for your clapped out Audi,or your clapped out BMW,or your clapped out VW, or your clapped out Jaguar, or your clapped out land rover,or your clapped out Volvo,or your clapped out toyota,etc,etc.Andrew Stoner you have a clapped out level of ignorance to make this statement.And a clapped out level of patriotism for a locally produced vehicle and workforce.Most real Aussies would love to clap you out of office.

SYLVIA | 28/05/2012 11:36 4

Really great comments! Also, has Mr Stoner considered how the Ethanol will be transported to the bowser? A hell of a lot more dangerous than petrol!

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