adminZIMBABWEANS should brace themselves for E85 fuel blending as the country moves forward in embracing technology in fuel blending, says Agriculture and Rural Development Authority board chairman Mr Basil Nyabadza.
In an interview on Wednesday amid an outcry from car assemblers that most of their vehicles were not compatible with the E15 fuel blend, Mr Nyabadza said Zimbabwe was a landlocked country which saw it fit to embrace new technology to meet its daily fuel needs.
“We know that there is an outcry from some sections over the E15 fuel blend, but you should know that the world is moving from fossil fuel to renewable energy and ethanol is included. There is bound to be resistance from those who invested in fossil fuels hence this outcry we are experiencing.
“By having ethanol blending in the country, it is more like encroaching into other people’s territory thereby all sorts of theories to discredit this noble process of having home-grown solutions to the challenges facing the country.
“However, in Zimbabwe we have a leadership that has embraced the new ethanol fuel blending technology, a reason why the E15 blending was given the nod at Cabinet level. This shows that Zimbabwe has decided to take a position to use its own raw materials to improve the economy.
“A lot of money is lost in importing fossil fuel and other forms of energy and we are saying let us use the available resources to generate our own fuel and there is no going back in that regard,” he said.
Mr Nyabadza said they were now moving towards blending ethanol with diesel. He said the first fleet of vehicles were expected in the country between January and March next year. The first diesel trucks will be seconded to local authorities and Government departments for testing before being rolled out to the market.
“The technology is already in place. We are following the Brazilian model of having E85. Zimbabweans should brace themselves for that eventuality. Zimbabwe has the same opportunity as Brazil to develop a dynamic biofuel industry to serve not only its own fuel needs but the region as well,” he said.
Ethanol blends with diesel are already in use in South Africa where Scania runs its diesel bus fleet in Johannesburg on an ethanol/diesel blend.
Research shows that blends of up to 40 percent will be feasible in the near future.
Mr Nyabadza said tests have concluded that there is no problem with using E15 and E20 blends in petrol vehicles and there is no need for vehicle modification.
Many new cars are already E85 compatible today, for example, the new Jeep Cherokee, Chrysler Voyagers and Dodge Nitros found in Zimbabwe.
There are approximately 21 million E85 compatible vehicles available straight from the manufacturer among them Audi, Citroen, Ford, GM, Chrysler, Fiat, Honda, Kia Motors, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot, Renault, Saab, SEAT, Skoda, Toyota, Volvo and Volkswagon.
The Minister of Energy and Power Development, Cde Dzikamai Mavhaire, has since added his voice on E15 blending, saying there was no going back.
Speaking at the launch of the Sakunda Fuel and Loyalty smart cards in Harare on Monday, Cde Mavhaire, said: “Zera (Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority) did consultations and I also did my own and there is nothing wrong with the (E15) fuel,” he said.
“By the way, I was a minister in 1982 and I was using 25 percent and you are asking about 15 percent, you are too young and it is childish.
“The country’s thrust and economy is not determined by a few people who own Mercedes-Benz cars.
“It is determined on how we benefit. Firstly, there is employment creation, saving money lost through importation of fuel, reducing the price of fuel and generating power.”
Online Reporter