Finland Legalises Ethanol Conversions for All Petrol Cars

This week Etanoliautoilijat ry announced that all petrol cars in Finland can legally be converted to run on ethanol following changes to national vehicle law and a Traficom regulation. It marks a notable shift for owners who want an alternative to petrol or electric vehicles.

The conversion creates flexible-fuel capability, letting drivers use E85 high-ethanol blends or ordinary petrol in any mix. Benefits include lower pump costs when E85 is cheaper, emissions reductions of up to about 80 percent, and reduced dependence on fossil imports for European energy security.

A Tampere-region example on 14 September showed E85 averaged about €1.50 per litre while petrol rose above €2.20. By the association’s figures, a car that normally uses 7.0 litres per 100 km on petrol (≈€15.40 at €2.20/L) would use roughly 8.5 litres of E85 (≈€12.75 at €1.50/L). That yields savings of more than €2.50 per 100 km. With typical driving patterns, those savings can add up to several hundred euros a year.

"When petrol climbs well above €2.00, it makes sense to look at other options. Not everyone can buy a new electric car or finds one suitable for their needs. An ethanol conversion offers an accessible alternative: at about the price of a smartphone you can convert an existing petrol car to run flexibly on renewable bioethanol or petrol," said Antti Grönlund, executive director of Etanoliautoilijat ry.

He criticised Finnish tax and distribution rules for keeping E85 prices higher than they could be, pointing to France where E85 can cost around €0.80 per litre. Grönlund urged political action to lower ethanol prices and widen raw-material sources for bioethanol production so consumers could see larger savings.