In the draft document of the Government's Resolution promulgating regulations on accelerating the implementation of the roadmap for using E10 biofuel, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said that studies show that E10 is compatible with more than 90% of current vehicles and does not require engine improvement.
However, one of the difficulties when deploying E10 gasoline in practice is consumer psychology.
Consumers are still hesitant about E10 bio-gasoline because it is not fully provided with scientific, technical and practical information for use.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, propaganda and communication about environmental benefits, technical efficiency and safety of E10 bio-gasoline have not been deployed synchronously and regularly.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade added that in the past two decades, biofuels have shifted from the testing phase to the widespread commercialization phase. According to the IEA, more than 60 countries have implemented mandatory ethanol blending policies, of which E10 is the most common level.
The main driving factors include energy security, emission reduction and agricultural support. The general trend is that E10 becomes a basic standard, no longer a substitute product.
In the United States, E10 accounts for more than 95% of the market share with ethanol production of about 60 billion liters/year. The policy includes renewable fuel standards, tax subsidies and mandatory blending obligations. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, this shows that Vietnam needs to have clear legal obligations, combining market tools with financial support.
In the European Union (EU), RED II requires at least 14% renewable energy in transportation and E10 to become a standard in Germany and France. The EU also stipulates flexible technical regulations and has a carbon certification system. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Vietnam needs to have policies associated with long-term climate goals.
Meanwhile, Thailand has abolished RON91 gasoline and used E10 to completely replace it. The successful implementation is thanks to lower prices than mineral gasoline and consistent policies.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, to successfully implement E10, Vietnam needs to have clear and mandatory legal regulations; flexible technical regulations; strong enough financial incentives; a competitive market price and promote communication to create trust for users. The key point is that policies must be strong enough to change market behavior.
Engineer Ngo Viet Dung, Vice President cum General Secretary of the Vietnam Sports Automobile Association, said that many countries in the world have banned the use of ordinary gasoline, forcing them to switch to using bio-gasoline. The common type of gasoline currently used by many countries is E20 gasoline, and some countries even use E85 gasoline.
According to the UK's independent traffic policy consulting organization - RAC Foundation, most gasoline cars manufactured from 2011 onwards can safely use E10 gasoline. Even cars manufactured after 2000 are compatible. However, each car has different regulations, so car owners still need to carefully study the content in the user manual.
For example, with the Honda CR-V 2021, the version in Thailand may use E85 gasoline, but the user manual in Vietnam does not mention biofuel but only clearly states the requirement to use gasoline with an octane rating of 91 or higher.
Meanwhile, Mazda6 2021 is confirmed to be compatible with E10 in Europe, but the instruction manual does not mention the Vietnamese market. Toyota Corolla Altis 2022 clearly states that E85 can be used regardless of market, implicitly understanding that cars in Vietnam can also be used.
For motorcycles, according to technical experts, most modern motorcycle lines, especially from major brands such as Honda, Yamaha, Piaggio... have been designed to be compatible with fuels containing ethanol such as E5 and E10.
E10 is a biofuel consisting of 90% ordinary unleaded gasoline and 10% ethanol.
Ethanol is an alcoholic fuel produced from the fermentation of plants such as sugarcane, cereals and their by-products.
Unlike conventional unleaded gasoline, ethanol is considered somewhat carbon neutral because during growth, plants absorb more CO2 than they emit when producing and burning fuel. This helps compensate for part of the greenhouse gas emissions.
