Many stores reduce E5 gasoline sales
According to Lao Dong, at Thach Ha petrol station (Thach Ha commune, Thach That district, Hanoi city), there are 6 petrol pumps, including 4 petrol pumps and 2 oil pumps. Of the 4 petrol pumps, only one pump is E5 RON 92 bio-fuel, the remaining 3 pump RON 95 petrol.
Explaining this, a gas station employee here said that Thach Ha commune is a metalworking, woodworking, automobile, and container craft village, requiring a lot of goods to be transported, so RON 95 gasoline is more popular.
"Most cars only use RON 95 gasoline, no one uses E5 gasoline, so the store only has one E5 gas station to serve a small number of motorbikes," said a store employee.
Kim Quan petrol station (Kim Quan commune, Thach That district, Hanoi city) also has 4 petrol pumps, including 3 petrol pumps and 1 oil pump. Of the 3 petrol pumps, only 1 sells R5 RON 92 petrol, the rest sell RON 95 petrol.
In Hanoi, some small gas stations have 1-2 pumps that only sell diesel and RON 95 gasoline, no E5 gasoline pumps. Store staff said they only sell RON 95.
According to the investigation of Lao Dong Newspaper reporters, in the Vietnamese market, E5 biofuel (5% ethanol) is made from 95% A92 gasoline and 5% anhydrous ethanol (99.5%), replacing RON 92 gasoline since 2018. The 5% ethanol component in biofuel is actually industrial alcohol.
E5 RON 92 gasoline is currently priced lower than RON 95 gasoline due to tax incentives, with the aim of encouraging the use of biofuels according to the Government's policy, ensuring harmony of interests among market participants.
But despite its lower price than RON 95 gasoline and its suitability for many types of vehicles in the Vietnamese market, RON 92 E5 biofuel gasoline is still not used by many people.
According to a report from the Department of Science and Technology (Ministry of Industry and Trade), although the Vietnamese Government is very determined and has implemented many solutions to encourage the use of biofuels, the trend of using this fuel has been decreasing in recent years.
The reason is that the price difference between biofuel and traditional mineral gasoline is not attractive enough for consumers to switch to biofuel.
Why is E5 gasoline less popular?
An expert from the Domestic Market Department (Ministry of Industry and Trade) also said that since 2015, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has brought E5 RON 92 bio-fuel to stores for distribution to consumers. But in reality, the consumption of this type of fuel is decreasing and its competitiveness compared to RON 95 mineral gasoline is getting lower and lower.
The expert said that currently, users still have the prejudice that using this type of gasoline can affect the engine, especially for motorbike users with average income, who consider this a big asset and want to ensure the longevity of the engine.
Mr. Clarence Woo - General Director of the Global Green Fuel Center commented: "From the experience of other countries in using E5 biological factors for RON 92 and RON 95 gasoline, we have all recorded better fuel efficiency and emission reduction ability.
E5 when applied to RON 92 and RON 95 gasoline both bring positive results. If E5 is combined with RON 95 gasoline, the results can be even better, especially for 4-stroke engines. It will make the engine run smoother and less noisy."
For EURO 5 standards, some countries also increase the biological element from E5 to E10, which can be combined with hybrid engines. Biofuel makes the fuel combustion process more efficient with more oxygen, helping the engine reduce pollutants and emissions from the engine, contributing to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Therefore, what needs to be done is to promote communication work, especially introducing the benefits of using RON 92 E5 gasoline, eliminating prejudices about worrying about engine damage through research conducted in other countries so that consumers can feel more secure when using E5 gasoline.
