Environment Agency opts for ethanol

The Environment Agency has added a bioethanol-fuelled Ford Focus FFV to its fleet. The car will be based at its offices in Bridgwater, Somerset - an area with five bioethanol pumps for refuelling.

Ford has now sold over 100 Focus FFVS, mostly in Somerset: other fleet customers are Somerset County Council, Avon & Somerset Police, Wessex Water and Wessex Grain, as well as Morrisons supermarket, which sells bioethanol at a few of its fuel outlets and runs Focus C-MAX FFVs on its fleet.

The 1.8-litre Focus FFV is said to have aggregate carbon dioxide emissions of just under 100g/km, since some of the carbon dioxide absorption by the crops - usually sugar beet or grains - grown to produce the fuel cancel out some of the car's emissions from burning it. It runs on a version of bioethanol known as E85, with an 85% bioethanol content and 15% conventional petrol, to aid ignition.

An Environment Agency spokesman said: 'The availability of bioethanol in our area makes this a real alternative to using vehicles which can only operate on conventional fossil fuels. We hope that people will begin to see the huge environmental and economic potential biofuels can offer.

The team at Bridgwater is extremely enthusiastic about their new bioethanol car, which will be used for site visits and inspections.'