The EU approach to emissions standards has been widely copied and it is not unusual to see references to new national standards as being “Euro 3”,”Euro 4” or “Euro 5” equivalents. However, the importance of the fuel in enabling these emissions standards is sometimes overlooked.
Any country wishing to take advantage of the European experience should always ensure that it matches its fuel standards to the needs of the new vehicle emissions technologies. It is worth noting that one of the benefits of fuel ethers is that their positive effect on the petrol pool will immediately result in emissions benefits irrespective of the vehicle car park.
Japan ETBE implementation is a success story of transforming into nearly 100% ether usage. The implementation followed a multi-agency and stakeholder involvement based on sound science. Currently, Japan consumes approximately 1.6 million metric tonnes of ETBE per year.