New biofuel guidelines have been released by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers as part of the Fourth Worldwide Fuel Charter.
The guidelines focus on maintaining biofuel quality when blending pure ethanol with gasoline (up to 10% by volume) and biodiesel with diesel fuel (up to 5% by volume).
According to the Auto Alliance, the guidelines are "based on the manufacturers' global experience and expertise..." The guidelines may help to overcome warranty issues, such as those highlighted in the UK in last month's OATS bulletin.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the USA us calling for public comment after Growth Energy and 54 ethanol manufacturer applied for a waiver for ethanol-gasoline blends of up to 15% by volume. The waiver was submitted at the beginning of March this year and the consultation period finishes on December 1st 2009.
The Chancellor's budget speech in the UK included the announcement of a vehicle scrappage scheme. An excellent - if slightly left-field - summary on the ‘Scrappage' website outlines the government plans to offer a £2000 voucher to owners of vehicles over 10 years old if they purchase a new vehicle. The cost of the scheme will be a 50-50 split between the government and the participating automotive manufacturers.
While the scheme was not to the liking of some environmentalists, or even some of the manufacturers for different reasons, there is already evidence that scrappage schemes, such as the one in Germany, can have an impact on vehicle sales and the automotive industry in general.
Meanwhile across Europe the Whole Vehicle Type Approval Directive (ECWVTA) came into force at the end of April, unifying type approval for areas such as construction, crash safety and environmental standards. The legislation means that while vehicles (from cars to trucks and coaches) must meet the rigorous approval standards, only one type approval application will be required rather than the current system of a type approval application being sought for every country where the vehicle will be sold.
And Toyota are gearing up for the launch of the third generation Prius, the hybrid car that has become the ‘must have' for many of the world's glitterati to demonstrate their ‘green credentials'. The Japanese manufacturer claims the new Prius will "deliver emphatic improvements in fuel efficiency, environmental responsibility and driving performance."
Image of Prius-2 courtesy of Toyota GB