(Lab): My Lords, I
follow the noble Baroness with a similar question. I was at a
meeting this morning about electric cars, which was a sort of
precursor to the Committee stage of the Automated and Electric
Vehicles Bill. My question is about the addition of biofuels.
Obviously I support the percentage increase up to 9.75% by 2020,
but can the Minister tell me whether there are any types of motor
that use this fuel that are adversely affected by it? The noble
Baroness mentioned the aerospace sector. I understand that, among
some parts of our large boating industry, which obviously uses
lots of engines, there is a big worry about even the existing
proportion of biofuels in the fuel because it adversely affects
the engines. I do not know—if the Minister cannot answer this,
perhaps she will write to me—whether it is because of the type of
engine or because many boat engines spend most of the year doing
nothing: it may be something to do with that. Manufacturers did
not like the previous fuel and were even asking for two sets of
fuel pumps, one with the biofuel addition and one without, which
of course would cost an enormous amount of extra money.
I do not know whether this applies to any other type of motor.
The railways are probably all right, as I suspect are most of the
road transport and car industries, but it is important to know
which type of motor and which type of use is adversely affected
by this and what the manufacturers can do about it. Obviously it
is good to increase the percentage, but if it is going to wreck
engines in the process we will have to find a solution. I look
forward to the Minister’s response...
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