Thread: Unleaded fuel to be phased out in NSW

So the NSW govt. has legislated to increase our fuel usage - why am I not surprised?

Of course, this will also affect people in towns bordering NSW. A fuel company won't be making different fuel for Albury and Wodonga.

Originally Posted by Chucaro

Green image? that is what the Do gooders telling us so they can save 2% in emissions to be able to mining more coal

Have a look THIS study

Apart from that I remember very well that when I lived in South America there was a big health problem in Brazil because the ignorants used to make a grog from it

Ok that is their problem you may say....but we the rest of the society have to pay for the health care cost and facilities for so many blind people in the population

I get upset when I read only one part of the story about Brazil....the dollar side

The legislating of unleaded fuel was the epitome of this, and then premium fuels made it worse.

It is not quite as simple as that. The energy content of ethanol is lower, and in theory, if everything else is the same, 10% ethanol means around 3% less power and worse fuel economy.

BUT! The E10 is usually higher octane rating, and many modern engines will adjust boost and/or ignition timing to take advantage of this, giving an improvement in energy efficiency of about the same amount. (and will adjust the mixture to keep the exhaust composition as specified)

For those engines which do not adjust to match the fuel, the mixture with E10 will be effectively a little leaner than it was with unleaded. In some cases this will improve performance, and hence fuel efficiency.

So the results will depend on the particular engine you are using it in, and in most cases the difference in either performance or economy will not be measurable, and certainly not noticeable.


No fuel components in any petrol or diesel engines have ever used natural rubber. This is rapidly ruined by any hydrocarbons. What they have used is synthetic rubbers and plastics that are designed to operate in a hydrocarbon environment. Until quite recently they would not have been tested for suitability with alcohol, and may or may not be OK (and different batches of the same part number may or may not be OK).

This is why manufacturers do not approve alcohol fuels - before they do so they have to be sure that every component of the fuel system will not be attacked by alcohol. This would involve a lot of testing, rewriting specifications for suppliers, and ensuring that all parts in the supply chain comply. Even for current models it is in the "not important" basket, and for past models, or anything that they plan to replace, forget it.

For higher percentages of alcohol(more than about 10%), another problem arises - alcohol is soluble in water, and dissolves water - so unless great care is taken at all stages of the fuel distribution and use, you end up with a variable amount of water in the fuel. Not only does this have implications for "ripping off", but the engine management system has to be able to handle it, and the presence of water will enable corrosion to take place throughout the fuel system, so this has to be redesigned to use all corrosion resistant metals. Further, the water will encourage the growth of organisms in the fuel that are likely to cause all sorts of other problems, starting with filter blockages.

The Ford 'T' was designed to run on E100 as well as petrol - but the only materials used in it's fuel system were tinned steel (fuel tank), copper and brass (all fuel lines and fittings and carburetter parts), cast iron (carburetter), and cork (carburetter float and various gaskets) - all of which were known to be safe with alcohol or petrol.


John

Originally Posted by Chucaro

Green image? that is what the Do gooders telling us so they can save 2% in emissions to be able to mining more coal

Have a look THIS study ...

However one can see where the focus of that study came from! Prove that bio-fuels are as dangerous as fossil fuels so we can push our electric car philosophy further.

You just can't take the electric car and the kids and the camping gear on a trip all around Australia. Even if there were re-charging stations all over the place the recharge would take forever. Rest - Revive - Recharge - wait - recharging - waiting - recharging - still waiting - will I survive all this I've only travelled for 2 hours.

Diana

Originally Posted by Lotz-A-Landies

However one can see where the focus of that study came from! Prove that bio-fuels are as dangerous as fossil fuels so we can push our electric car philosophy further.

You just can't take the electric car and the kids and the camping gear on a trip all around Australia. Even if there were re-charging stations all over the place the recharge would take forever. Rest - Revive - Recharge - wait - recharging - waiting - recharging - still waiting - will I survive all this I've only travelled for 2 hours.

Diana

I do not think that they are targeting the electric motors as a solution at this stage but you can bet that in a couple of years the "old" diesel engines like the TD5, etc will be faced out of the streets or pay a very heavy tax.
Legislations are already for "clean" fuel and engines. The easy way for them (the Goverment)is legislate for producing a fuel that is going be good for new engines only leaving all the old cars absolute like in Europe

Start saving for a new Defender now

Westfield has just announced they are marking some parking bays in their centres in green for hybrid cars only. In the future, they will have charging points in those locations. The bays are to be closest to the mall entrances.

Now, can a centre stop anyone parking in a bay marked for hybrid cars only?

I note that Westfield Parramatta has signs saying cars parked in disabled paring bays will be booked if they don't have a disabled sticker.

Ron

I guess it's like the prams and strollers parking. There is no legislation backing it so probably the worst they can do is ban you from using the station. What maul owner is going to ban customers.

Diana

P.S. Yes I know about malls!

Parking in a disabled spot probably comes under the "road-related areas" rule so one can be booked for doing that. However, unless hybrid parking is covered by council bylaws, I dunno.

I see Randwick has introduced green parking, too.