More and more motorists want it.

Marketed in a growing number of service stations, bioethanol, or E85, broke a new sales record in France in 2022. The consumption of bioethanol, made from agricultural alcohol, soared by 83% the last year, more than 854 million liters over twelve months, announced on Tuesday at a press conference, the Bioethanol Collective, which described the year as "exceptional".

This biofuel now represents 6.5% of the fuel market - compared to 4% in 2021 - and is offered in one in three service stations, according to professionals in the sector.

Cereals or beets

Half of motorists driving on bioethanol have been using it for less than a year, according to a survey conducted in November by the industry.

“Among the events that played a triggering role are mentioned the increase in fuel prices (cited at 74%) and the ecological dimension associated with this biofuel (cited at 39%),” she noted.

Bioethanol, marketed under the name of Superethanol-E85 or E85, is a fuel where ethanol replaces part of the gasoline contained in traditional fuels.

It is 80% produced in France, from cereals (corn and wheat) or sugar beets, in fields located in particular in the North or South-West.

Asked about the government's decision on Monday evening to waive a third derogation allowing beet growers to use neonicotinoid insecticides, the bioethanol sector did not wish to comment.

"In the absence of effective solutions, the surfaces (of beets) are likely to drop significantly," said the union of beet growers (CGB), affirming that this would increase "the risk of massive imports of sugar or ethanol ( of Brazil in particular).

Explosion of sales

If bioethanol costs less, its promoters also claim that it emits less CO2 per liter than traditional fuels.

The bioethanol consumed in France is "nearly 1.8 million tonnes of CO2 avoided", thus assures Sylvain Demoures, secretary general of the National Union of Agricultural Alcohol Producers (SNPAA), citing as a source the Directorate General of the energy and climate (DGEC).

To use this fuel, the first option is to buy a suitable vehicle and the second is to convert your own by installing an approved box called "flex fuel" in an approved garage.

In 2022, according to the sector, 85,000 new boxes were installed compared to 30,000 in 2021, i.e. almost triple.

Market leader Biomotors sold “one every four minutes” last year, according to its managing director, Alexis Landrieu.

If the cost of a box can amount to 1,000 euros, certain regions, departments or municipalities subsidize them.

Last year, nearly 35,000 original flex-E85 vehicles were sold, about six times more than in 2021, according to the same source.

Among these vehicles, more than two-thirds are hybrids.

Advantageous

However, bioethanol has not escaped inflation.

In French service stations, its price has risen sharply and crossed the bar of 1 euro per liter.

"The price of bioethanol has suffered from the increase in agricultural costs and energy prices, in particular gas, which has been passed on in the supply contracts concluded between ethanol suppliers and fuel distributors for the 2023”, according to the Bioethanol Collective.

Even if it is necessary to plan to use a greater quantity of fuel when driving on bioethanol, this fuel remains advantageous.

Consumers can save up to 675 euros per year on average for 20,000 km traveled (excluding investment in the box), according to calculations by the sector.

At the pump, E85 was displayed last Friday at 1.1083 euros per liter, according to figures from the Ministry of Energy Transition, i.e. 30% to 40% cheaper than other fuels, diesel, unleaded gasoline and SP95. -E10.

At the start of 2022, bioethanol was still selling for 0.7433 euros per litre, and even 0.6517 euros at the start of 2021.

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  • Automotive

  • Economy

  • Fuels

  • Essence

  • Fuel prices

  • Inflation