PressClub Global · Article.
Even wider range of BMW Group cars eligible to use biogenic fuel.
Tue Jan 29 15:00:00 CET 2008 Press Release
E10 fuel can be used in MINI, Rolls-Royce and earlier BMW as well.
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Bernhard Ederer
BMW Group
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Author.
Bernhard Ederer
BMW Group
Munich. BMW models built as of 1998 have recently been announced as E10
compatible. Now further considerations have confirmed that E10 can be used even
in all earlier BMW, as long as Premium Plus fuel is not required as mandatory
by the owners manual. Furthermore, E10 can be used in all MINI models since the
relaunch of the brand in 2000 and all Rolls-Royce motor cars as of 2003, the
year the current Phantom model was launched.
E10 is the name for a new fuel mixture of 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline that is
expected to be legalised by the German Government in 2008 for regular and
premium fuel.
Also the new B7 diesel fuel (diesel with 7 per cent rape methyl ester) can be
used in all BMW diesels ever built - with or without a particulates filter
fitted as standard - as well as with a retrofitted BMW filter. The same applies
to all MINI Diesel models produced since 2000.
Given this, the vast majority of all BMW Group customers will not experience
any changes when the new fuels are introduced. Rather E10 and B7 lead to
another welcome reduction of CO2 emissions. This is because the biogenic share
in fuels bound CO2 when they grew up as a plant.
"The use of fuels with a sensibly limited share of biogenic substances in our
cars is very important to us. This is indeed a substantial element of our
global BMW EfficientDynamics development strategy to reduce CO2 emissions
without forefeiting that dynamic performance so typical of BMW. Which means,
quite simply, that we are able to offer the best of both worlds. states Dr.
Klaus Draeger, BMW Board Member for Development.
Fuels with an even larger share of biogenic substances such as E85 or pure
bio-diesel would limit usability in practice to very few cars.
Furthermore, a larger shares of biogenic substances in these first generation
alternative fuels would further tension the existing global competition between
the production of food and fuels. Only second generation bio-fuels - which are
currently not available in large quantities - will offer further opportunities
here. Hence, the use of E85 or pure bio-diesel in BMW engines is not planned
and the current engines would not be able to run on such fuels.
BMW advocates the use of alternative fuels since they help to reduce the
general dependence of mankind on carbon-based sources of energy such as oil and
gas.
These enable BMW to continue producing its cars as environmentally as possible
until CO2-free vehicles, such as BMW Hydrogen cars, become available on a
broader scale.