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Flexi-fuel is the whey to go

Wednesday, 13 August 2008

There has been much talk about C02 emissions lately and the big switch to diesel. But how about flexi-fuel, which uses E85, a mix of 15 per cent petrol and 85 per cent ethanol?
The ethanol is produced here in Ireland by Carbery Milk Products in County Cork from whey, a left-over from cheese production.
Ford is very proud of their flexifuel models - the C-Max, Mondeo and Galaxy - which was my test car last week. They are currently offering the flexi-fuel in 16 countries. In Sweden over 80 per cent of all the Focus and C-Max models sold are flexi-fuel versions.
Currently E85 sells for just under one euro per litre, which is well below the price of unleaded petrol or diesel. Like other flexi-fuel models, the Galaxy can run on any mix of unleaded petrol or bioethanol. So if there is no bioethanol E85 station near you, you can top with unleaded petrol until get to an E85 pump.
The Maxol station in Sandymount was the first to supply Ethanol, but now the product is available from 28 Maxol and two Emo stations.
The Galaxy is a truly massive motor and from the driver's seat you get a feeling of being totally in control. I was told by front seat passengers that they were also very impressed, while those in the back can hide behind the tinted windows.
Internally the Galaxy looks very much like Ford's S-Max, which won the European Car of the Year award for 2007. Last year Ford's Mondeo won the Irish Car of the Year and already their new Kuga is one of the favourites of this year's award. So things are really on the up for Ford.
You got plenty of space and lots of extras like arm rests for driver and front seat passenger in this massive people carrier. My test car had parking sensors, front and back, which are very useful for such a long vehicle.
The Galaxy has seven individual seats. But with all seven seats in use there is no luggage space. However, most couples won't have five children, so you simply leave down the rear two seats for luggage/shopping space.
Earlier I said that the interior is similar to the S-Max and the one item that jumps out at you is the unusual handbrake, which is straight from the S-Max design. When you engage the hand-brake you get the feeling that the car definitely won't move.
Driving-wise I didn't notice any difference from petrol or diesel models, but I have to admit that the engine did cut out a few times in the first day or two, until I got used to the car.
With a rebate of e2,500 the 2.0 flexi-fuel model I drove costs e38,365, which is not bad for the size of the motor. So a bargain, if it's a seven-seater you are after. The bad news is that it's in Band F for road tax, which means a whopping e1,000 per annum.
The ethanol idea sounds like a really good story with an Irish angle, but then using crops for fuel could, we are told, make food more expensive. However, there is nothing new about getting energy from whey; after all in the old nursery rhyme we were told that little Miss Muffet was 'eating her curds and whey’.

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