The ethanol in E85 is considered to have an 88 per cent lower emission rate of Greenhouse gases than petrol when it is burned in a car engine (source: Index över nya bilars klimatpåverkan (Index of the Climate Impact of New Cars), The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, 2007). E85 contains about 15-25 per cent petrol, however, and this must also be taken into account when evaluating emissions from ethanol-driven cars.
Ford Sweden has made the following calculations regarding carbon dioxide emissions from different types of cars, where ethanol use gives a 75 per cent lower carbon dioxide emission rate when compared with petrol:
| Car model |
Engine |
Harmful
CO2 |
Reduction of
exhaust emissions |
Ford Focus 1.8
125 hp |
Petrol |
169 g/km |
- |
Ford Focus 1.6
109 hp |
Diesel |
127 g/km |
21 % |
Toyota Prius 1.5
77 hp |
Hybrid - Petrol/El |
104 g/km |
35 % |
Ford Focus 1.8
125 hp |
FlexiFuel -
Bioethanol/Petrol |
42 g/km |
75 % |
(Source: Ford Sweden)
