Système U, a chain of gas stations in France, has decided to stop delivering E85 at the 22 pumps where it was on sale. According to the company's press release, "This biofuel has not found its public. The French adhesion is just not there." Système U comprises more than 900 shops in France, 600 of which have gas pumps.The 22 pumps where E85 was distributed barely sold an average of 1000 liters a day (about 250 gallons), mainly because of the low number of flex-fuel vehicles currently running in France. Previously Système U's had plans to grow to 100 pumps in two years' time. Currently, only 211 pumps in France are selling E85, 43 at Leclerc and 42 at Carrefour supermarkets.
France is actually in "pause mode" regarding first-generation biofuels, as French Minister of Ecology Jean-Louis Borloo announced last week. However, he also said that current investments in this technology should be "honored."
[Source: Les Echos via Le Blog Auto]
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1. E85 will really take off if it is sold as an alternative to premium grade fuel. E85 has an octane rating of over 100 which is perfect for high compression engines which increase efficiency. We will see more low displacement turbo engines which will require high octane fuels. E85 is perfect.
Posted at 2:03PM on May 8th 2008 by Wildgoosechase73