Superethanol E85 Continues to Rise

More interesting at the pump than traditional Super and diesel, E85 Superethanol or Bioethanol continues to rise steadily.

We mentioned this during our Tour de France of incentives for converting a vehicle to E85 Superethanol, the fuel prices at the pump for this greener alternative are far from the famous threshold of €0.70/liter that prevailed three years ago.

Back then, in early 2020, the geopolitical situation was somewhat calmer and the COVID-19 pandemic was just beginning. At the pump, E85 could be found for less than €0.70/liter, whereas it is now common to see stations, especially in the Paris region, displaying a price around €1.10/liter. More than forty cents increase in three years, but a significant gap compared to Super 95-E10, which, over the same period, increased from €1.50/liter to nearly €1.90/liter. That’s about an 80-cent difference between E85 Superethanol and Super 95-E10. Enough to realize substantial savings daily… Once the cost of installing the kit is recouped (between €800 and €1,600).

As we discussed in our article, many regions offer €500 incentives to soften this investment.

The Reason for the Price Increase

However, let’s get back to our main topic. While E85 Superethanol’s alcohol content is reduced in winter (about 60%), this does not fully explain such a significant increase. The explanation lies in the rising production costs of ethanol, driven by the increase in raw material prices that directly affect farmers and producers.

Today, E85 accounts for only 6.5% of the fuel market, and the registrations of cars equipped as standard with a Flexifuel engine represented only 35,000 units in 2022 (plus 85,000 converted cars). Despite the rising prices, E85 Superethanol is expected to reach around 8% of the fuel market in 2023, or even surpass it.

Read also: Fuel: Should you choose E85 or LPG to save?