Position paper – Aftermarket Flexfuel converters
Ethanol and gasoline combustion process are very similar, and many European countries already offer gasoline fuels containing different ranges of ethanol. However, several vehicle models in Europe can run on both normal market gasoline and on E85 (up to 85% of ethanol). These vehicles are commonly known as ‘Flexfuel’.
Some companies across Europe are offering aftermarket devices (or kits) that convert normal gasoline engine vehicles into Flexfuel vehicles. These devices are mainly just electronic control units that claim to recalibrate the engine to run on E85 (‘E85 black-box’).
For both European countries and consumers, it may seem tempting to fit a simple E85 device on the aftermarket, as it could reduce energy dependency and allow the use of fuel that might be cheaper at the pump than normal gasoline. However, ACEA deems that the sale and installation of these devices is quite dangerous, since it presents several risks in term of reliability, corrosion, service to the client, as well as the exhaust after-treatment system capability to maintain pollutant emission levels.
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