Pictured outside RAF Chetwynd - Nigel has been recently visiting WW2 airfields in Staffordshire and Shropshire on his Vespa.
Nigel Shuttleworth is new to the VVC; having joined upon picking up a couple of copies of The Journal at Scooter Expo. He has been writing for VCB’s Vespa News on and off for the last 18 months and is keen to contribute content to the VVC JOURNAL and website.
Nigel is the owner/rider of a modern Vespa GTV250 but has been looking for a 2T for a while - you may have seen his recent post on the VVC FB page about having missed a nice looking wideframe at Stafford which Bonhams sold at £1995 inc buyers premium.
Nigel sent me an email along with an original article he wrote, some three years ago, for Morton's ‘Real Classic’ (motorcycle magazine). The below piece does not repeat any of the article for Real Classic, other than the basic facts on what ethanol does to an engine; and even that he has revised following an interview with Amal at the Carole Nash Stafford Show in October. He says he is as sure as anyone can be on the facts but if you know different on anything Nigel has written, please do let us know so we can amend accordingly.
“Brexit? No, no, far worse . . . . . Bio-Ethanol! In July this year the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for British Bio-Ethanol produced a report warning that unless the content in petrol was increased from the current 5% (E5) in 95RON Premium to 10% (E10) within the next few months the £1bn a year industry would be lost to the UK. The report stated that such an increase would be the equivalent of removing the harmful climate emissions from 700,000 cars; which is actually BS (we'll just say that stands for Bad Science!) but more on that later. Despite persistent rumours in the motoring press that E10 will definitely be introduced in the UK from 2020, so far the response from the Department for Transport has been to issue a consultation document 'E10 petrol, consumer protection and fuel pump labelling. Supporting renewable transport fuels and protecting consumers. Moving Britain Ahead' and no decision yet on a date. No doubt these last few months the Government has the other B word on its collective mind and hasn't got round to making more problems for us Vespisti - yet.
So lets look at what bio-ethanol is and what it does for the climate and to old scooters. Two alcohols have been used since the dawn of the combustion engine as a fuel, ethyl alcohol (ethanol) and methyl alcohol (methanol) which used to be known as wood alcohol because it was made from the distillation of wood but now is derived from the hydrogenation of carbon monoxide. Methanol is highly toxic although it is present in tiny volumes in the human body from eating fruit such as apples which contain pectin - wish I'd known that fact when my Mum used to quote the stupid adage about 'an apple a day keeps the Doctor away'! Methanol was extensively used in racing engines in the 1930's because although it produces less energy than an equal volume of petrol it burns slower preventing pre-ignition in a high compression engine, and higher compression means more power. Eighty years ago the octane rating of petrol was very low compared to today and 'pinking' or 'knocking' was a common problem leading to melted plugs, burnt valves and holed pistons. The other alcohol used in combustion engines, ethanol (the prefix 'bio' is superfluous, just sounds good when you're trying to big it up to look greener) also goes back to the early days of motoring. The very first car which Henry Ford made in 1896 whilst he was working for the Edison Company ran on pure ethanol. Ford went back to ethanol in 1925 with an experimental Model T saying 'The fuel of the future is going to come from fruit like that sumach (flowering scrub) out by the road, or from apples, weeds, sawdust - almost anything.' Nowadays bio-ethanol is made mostly from wheat grown in the Northeast of England and Scotland, or maize from East Anglia. It is produced either by the petrochemical distillation process or the fermentation of sugars by yeasts and is non-toxic; indeed I consume ethanol on a regular basis, a very regular basis mostly in the form of a good single malt! So-called 'advocacy groups' (XR, Greens, Guardian readers, vegetable eaters, sandals-with-socks-wearers etc) argue that ethanol in fuel reduces harmful climate change emissions. Their case is that growing the crops from which bio-ethanol is derived 'locks up' carbon so therefore is part of 'carbon offset'. However, that overlooks the fact that burning bio-ethanol C2H5OH in a combustion engine still emits the very same carbon molecules which don't magically disappear but come out of the exhaust pipe as carbon dioxide and water. Because it has less energy than petrol it also has the effect of lowering mpg thereby having to use more fuel - and create more emissions. Bio-ethanol combustion also produces other greenhouse gasses such as acetaldehyde, creating smog through photochemical reaction on the increase in ground level ozone. So why is the APPG on British Biofuel so keen on peddling this line and promoting the increase from E5 to E10? Could it be that the MP's who make up the Group represent the constituencies where bio-ethanol is produced? Shucks, and I thought MP's on APPGs were impartial and always told the truth!
The effects of bio-ethanol on older engines are well reported. Ethanol does improve the octane rating (RON) reducing knocking and the lower temperature at which the fuel vaporises gives better starting and improved combustion. The disadvantages are that it is hygroscopic and absorbs water which separates out of solution if left standing for a while and the consequent condensation can rust metal such as the inside of petrol tanks. It leaves a varnish-like deposit in the carburettor which blocks jets and air passages and is a nightmare to try to clean off. Two years ago I threw away a carb on an MZ TS125 I was restoring but luckily NOS replacements are still available from Eastern Germany and it was cheaper than having the original ultrasonically cleaned. More seriously, bio-ethanol is a solvent which has the effect of breaking down the petroil mix on a two stroke and washing off the lubricant from metal surfaces such as the cylinder walls and main bearings. It can melt fibreglass, degrade flexible fuel pipes and seals and attack plastics, zinc alloys (carb bodies) and brass components such as jets, needles and floats. Modern fuel injection and carburettor manufacturers use nickel silver and manganese bronze in their construction and fluoropolymer elastomer (synthetic rubber) for O rings, diaphragms and fuel pipes but that’s not a lot of help to someone who wants to keep their beloved VBB in standard spec. The problems caused by bio-ethanol are not so apparent at E5 strength if the vehicle is used frequently but do become pronounced at E10 and certainly if the vehicle is stored over a long period of time, say a winter lay-up. In which case it would be advisable to drain off the fuel and keep the scooter in a dry environment. One result of the DFT consultation with the snappy title mentioned above, is that forecourt pumps are now labelled with the content of bio-ethanol such as E5 or B7 in the case of diesel; which, by the way is another case of stretching the truth as bio-ethanol in diesel increases N2O and particulate emissions.
The DFT has recognised that older cars and PTWs either cannot run on E10 or will suffer damage even if they are adapted. The plan is that when it is introduced, on larger forecourts selling above a certain volume per annum a pump will still be available for E5 95RON (Premium) at the same price as E10. It’s very easy for the petrol suppliers to vary the bio-ethanol content as it’s the last ingredient to be added after the tanker has filled up with the basic petrol at the refinery. There is no plan to increase from E5 to E10 content in 97RON (Super). If you're nodding off, now's the time to keep up at the back as here comes the good bit. In response to a survey I sent to the major petrol retailers in the UK on the content of bio-ethanol in supplies, alone in all the responses I received was this statement from Esso -
'Hello Nigel,
Recent legislative changes now require all service stations to include an E5 sticker on their pumps that provide fuel with ‘up to 5% ethanol content’ – so the sticker is required even when there is no ethanol in the fuel.
There has been no change in the formula of our Synergy Supreme Unleaded fuel, so in most parts of the UK it remains ethanol free.
The exceptions, due to different supply arrangements, are in the extreme south west of England, and in the North East of England
Kind regards, Richard'
27th August 2019
Richard Scrase Media Adviser
UK & Ireland Public & Government Affairs Exxon Mobil
Every other retailer in the UK puts bio-ethanol in their petrol. Several companies didn't bother to answer my survey at all. One of the majors kindly sent me eight pages of marketing guff with coloured charts and snaps of forecourts with happy execs filling their German limos, telling me how much better their product was than anyone else's. Chockfull of esters and additives that would clean my engine, give me more mpg, make it go like a rocket, park it for me, do my shopping etc etc. On reflection, I shouldn't be surprised - my niece is a senior marketing manager for that particular company!
For myself, I'm happy to pay a little more and run my old stroker on Esso Supreme knowing that its being lubed properly, the carb isn't being eaten away and the tank won't rust if I leave it in the back of the garage for a few months. I also run my lawnmower, my buzz saw and my strimmer on the same fuel, happy that it is free of harmful bio-ethanol content. The difference in cost over the summer is negligible against the aggravation of having to drain and thoroughly clean every bit of the fuel system each November and I know all my machinery will start again in the Spring. Its your decision . . . .”
Nigel Shuttleworth 2019.
Photo by N.Shuttleworth
Interesting reading - thanks to Nigel and we’ll no doubt be hearing more from him in the near future.