Unleaded vs E10 | Unleaded Petrol vs E10 Fuel
The depleting resources of natural oil, and thus petroleum, have forced many nations of the world to think in terms of alternative fuels for automobiles that are dependent on gasoline. Australia is one country that has taken the lead in this regard with a new fuel being made available to the public known as E10 along with the usual unleaded and premium unleaded petrol. The ethanol fuel, also known as E10 fuel is being sold at the outlets of BP, Caltex, Shell, as well as many other independent dealers. . E10 outlets are close to the production sources of ethanol that is produced from both sugarcane as well as grains. What are the differences between the unleaded petrol and E10 and why is the government planning to phase out unleaded petrol in favor of ethanol based fuel? Let us find out in this article.
To conserve petroleum and also to lessen dependence upon it, production of sugarcane and other crops that are used to produce ethanol is being encouraged in all countries at the moment. Automobile companies are being pressurized to switch over to technology that supports E10 fuel as it is being projected as a fuel for the future. Unleaded petrol is the fuel that has been used in cars for long and some of the cars do not have suitable engines to run perfectly on E10. The misconception among the people that E10 is less efficient and gives lesser mileage than the usual unleaded petrol is unfounded. The fears are doing the rounds because E10 is not that cheap in comparison to unleaded petrol to make it appear attractive in the eyes of the public. Though, it is a step in the right direction as it lessens our dependence upon import of petroleum and crude oil, while at the same time helping us go green as E10 is certainly greener than unleaded petrol.
Already some pumps are selling only E10 and premium petrol only causing headache for those who were used to ordinary unleaded petrol. Those car owners whose vehicles can run on E10 as well as unleaded petrol are seemingly happy as E10 is also cheaper than unleaded petrol. All this has made auto manufacturers to seriously convert to engines that are compatible with E10.
What is the difference between Unleaded and E10?
It is unleaded petrol that is being used in cars with catalytic converters since 1986 in Australia. Regular unleaded petrol has an octane number (RON) of 91. There is also premium unleaded petrol that has higher octane levels to prevent knocking of engine and to optimize performance. This premium unleaded petrol has a RON (research octane number) of 98. E10 is a specially formulated fuel for automobiles that has about 10% ethanol premixed with it. E10 is an attempt to lessen dependence upon petroleum and to encourage production of sugarcane and other crops used to produce ethanol.