Biofuel and environmentally friendly cars

Biofuel is a renewable fuel typically made from food crops, wood waste, or, as in New Zealand, from dairy industry by-products. Biofuel can either be petrol blended with a maximum of 10% bioethanol, or diesel blended with a maximum 5% biodiesel.

Biofuel benefits the environment because it burns more cleanly and reduces the amount of carbon dioxide (greenhouse gas emissions) produced by your car.

If you use 30 litres of biofuel a week you will save over 250 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions every year. Biofuel is better suited to newer vehicles however many older vehicles can use it too. Check our list of biofuel compatible cars (below) or contact your vehicle manufacturer before using biofuel.

While ethanol contains less energy than normal petrol, any increase in the fuel economy of your vehicle using ethanol-blended petrol should be minimal.

However bio-ethanol does contain more oxygen so your fuel will burn better and performance may be improved.

Bioethanol has 30% less energy content than mineral fuel, which means you consume about 3% more fuel with a 10% bioethanol blend. However bioethanol does contain more oxygen so your fuel will burn better and performance may be improved.

Power sources

The new generation of environmentally friendly (or "green") cars and vehicles are being designed to run on a number of different power sources; anything from bioethanol to biodiesel and hydrogen. Here's a rundown.

Hydrogen-powered

Plain old water is the only emission from hydrogen-powered cars. However, like other experimental hydrogen-powered vehicles, it's prohibitively expensive and hydrogen production is still CO2 intensive.

Hybrids

Hybrid vehicles use two types of power sources; a petrol engine and an electric motor - which maximises the benefits of both and opens up possibilities for the future. Hybrid vehicles typically use one of two types of hybrid systems; the series hybrid and the parallel hybrid.

Biodiesel

Biodiesel can be made from chemically treated vegetable oil or animal fat and is often blended with mineral diesel to a maximum of 5 percent. It's possible to use the waste product from restaurant and takeaway deep fat fryers to run some diesel vehicles. However this type of vegetable oil is not considered fuel grade and requires serious investigation and vehicle modification before attempting.

Bioethanol

Bioethanol is a renewable fuel made by fermenting and distilling products containing sugars and starches. In New Zealand bioethanol is currently made from dairy industry byproducts, and is blended to a maximum 10% with petrol. Bioethanol fuel blends have been used in Europe, Australia and North and South America, for many years. Again, however, its production can be CO2 intensive.

LPG

Any petrol engine can be converted to run on LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), but although it may cost you less at the pump, the conversion can be pricey and you may lose precious boot space to the second fuel tank needed.

Biofuel compatible cars

This list has been created from information provided by members of the Motor Industry Association (MIA) and details car models and their manufacturer recommendations relating to the use of E3 or E10 biofuel.

Make	Model	E3 suitable	E10 suitable
Alfa Romeo	All models post 1998
Aston Martin	All models post 2004
Audi	All models except the ones below:
	A3 1.8 (engine code APG {92kW})
	A4 & A6 2.0 (engine code ALT {96kW})
Bentley	All models post 1990
BMW	All models pre 1996
	All models post 1996
Chrysler	All models post 1986
Citroen	All models post 1998
Daihatsu	All models except the ones below:
	Charade post Sept 2005
	Copen post Jan 2006
	Materia post Nov 2006
	Terios post Feb 2006
Dodge	All models post 1986
Fiat	All models post 1998
Ford	All models post 1986 except the ones below:
	Capri
	Courier 2.0L & 2.6L
	Econovan pre 2002
	Escort
	F-series models 1986-1992
	Festiva
	Focus models 2002-2004
	Ka
	Laser 1.3L, 1.5L & 1.6L
	Mondeo 2.0L & 2.5L pre 2001
	Sierra
	Telstar
	Transit models 1996-2004
Daewoo	All models
Holden	All models post 1986 except the ones below:
	Barina models 1985-1994
	Astra SRi 2.2L models post November 2006), 2.2L Twin Top Convertible models post November 2006
Honda	All fuel injected models post 1996
Hyundai	All models post October 2003
Jaguar	All fuel injected models post 1986 - 95 Octane or higher
Jeep	All models post 1986
Kia	All models post 1995
Lamborghini	All models
Land Rover	All fuel injected models post 1996 - 95 Octane or higher
Lexus	All models
Maserati	All models
Mazda	All models except the ones below:
	MPV post 1999
	Mazda2 post May 2005
	Mazda3
	Mazda6
	RX8
	NC MX-5
	CX-7
Mercedes Benz	All models post 1986
MG	All models
Mini (BMW)	All models post 2001
Mitsubishi	All models except the ones below:
	Models with Evo X and GDi engines
Nissan	All models post 1 January 2004
Peugeot	205, 404, 405, 504, 505, 605 (post 07/1997 TU engines)
	206, 207, 307, 406, 407, 607, 306 (post 07/1997 TU engines)
Porsche	All models pre 2007
	All models post 2007
Rolls Royce	All models post 1990
Rover	All models
Renault	All models post 2001
Saab	All models post 1986
Skoda	All models post 2006
Subaru	All models post 1990 except the ones below:
	Legacy RS, GT, GTB, RSK, Blitzen-1990 on Impreza STI-1997 on, Forester STI
Suzuki	All models except the ones below (providing RON requirements are met):
	Alto models pre 2000
	Baleno
	Baleno GTX
	Jimny (SOHC)
	Super Carry
	Swift models pre 1995
	Vitara
	Wagon R+ model pre 2001
	Wagon R
	X-90
Toyota	All models post 1991
Volkswagen	All fuel-injected models post 1997
	All models post 2006
Volvo	All fuel injected models post 1996 - 95 Octane or higher

Motorcycles, all terrain and other vehicles

Make	Model	E3 suitable	E10 suitable
BMW	All models pre 2000
	All models post 2000
Ducati	All models
Harley-Davidson	All models
Honda	All models post 1989 (refer owner manual for related cautions)
Hyosung	All models
Polaris	All models
Kawasaki	Some Canadian specification models (details in owner handbook)
	All other models
Suzuki	Road bikes 50cc to 1800cc
	ATV wheel bikes
	Road trail bikes and kids bikes
	Motorcross 2 stroke and 4 stroke
Yamaha	All motorcycles and all terrain vehicles

Important things to note

The list only applies to cars sold brand new in New Zealand. It doesn't relate to any vehicles that have been imported as used cars.

For the vast majority of Japanese used imports, vehicle manufacturers state that they can safely use ethanol-blend fuel up to a 3% maximum (E3). Some later models (2006 onwards) may be suitable for ethanol-blend fuel of up to 10%. If your car is fitted with a carburettor then it's highly unlikely to be able to use E3 or E10.

B5 biodiesel should be suitable for use in most diesel vehicles. However, some vehicle manufacturers may not endorse the use of tallow-based biodiesel due to concerns about its performance in cold temperatures, which could lead to fuel system blockages. The AA also advises motorists not to use biodiesel in recreational boats due to the associated higher risk of diesel bug.

You may also find further information about your car's compatibility with biofuel in the owner's handbook or on the car manufacturer's website.

Ethanol blended fuel shouldn't be used for marine and aviation purposes, and you should contact manufacturers prior to using ethanol-blended fuel for small machinery such as motor mowers, chainsaws and generators. Please contact your manufacturer if you're uncertain whether to use biofuel.