The suppliers' position
Morrisons has pioneered the supply of higher-blend biofuels and was the first fuel retailer to sell E85, a high-blend bioethanol fuel, widely used in Sweden, and suitable for some Saab and Ford models on sale in the UK. Twenty one sites across the UK sell the fuel.
However, they were less keen to talk to us about concerns raised by the industry over the use of B30 and the issue of labelling. "Our fuel people are very busy," was all a flustered spokesman would say.
Harvest Energy were more open. They told us cars and vans had been running on the fuel for the last two years with no operational issues. They also claim industry concerns like separation in storage and cold weather problems have been eliminated from their B30 feedstock blends.
The legal position
The fact is Morrisons are selling an entirely legal fuel. Harvest Energy produces it to EN590 fuel specifications (other than its high FAME content) and Europe's biofuel standard EN14214.
The European Commission also appears to have given the green light to higher blend biofuels in its new Fuel Quality Directive. To the chagrin of car makers it has allowed the use of metallic additives, and in a contradiction worthy of the best of European lawmaking, mandates a maximum FAME content of 7%, while allowing member states to market fuel with a higher content.
