Saab Great Britain has presented its own ‘BioPower Budget’ to Gordon Brown ahead of his own Budget tomorrow.

Saab wants to boost the use of bioethanol E85 and reduce Britain’s carbon dioxide output from road transport.

Saab’s three key demands are:

  • Reduce the tax on bioethanol E85 to drive down prices at the pump. For example, both the Swedish and German governments apply the maximum discount on fuel duty allowed by EU law in order to encourage the use of bioethanol E85 in their nations.

  • Encourage drivers to opt for flex-fuel cars – this could be achieved by a variety of measures, such as discounting company car tax, reducing vehicle excise duty (VED) and offering incentives for private purchasers – these tactics are already in place and are working in other European countries.

  • Support the expansion of the bioethanol E85 infrastructure – incentives are needed to rapidly increase the number of bioethanol E85 refuelling pumps in the UK, while encouraging local production of the fuel.

    Jonathan Nash, managing director of Saab GB, said: “I understand that policy-makers are grappling with a range of tough environmental and social challenges, but the fact remains that transport emissions are still increasing.

    “It is time for the Government to take hard action and make a financial commitment to offset the cost of going green. Bioethanol E85 is a fuel available right now that can make an immediate and substantial contribution to reducing CO2 output from road transport.”

    Saab is currently the only car company in the UK to offer an alternative fuel engine choice in every model in its line-up.

    Saab’s BioPower flex-fuel technology allows its cars to run on either bioethanol E85 produced from agricultural crops such as wheat, sugar beet and woody sources; standard unleaded petrol or any mix of the two; without any adjustment required by the driver.

    When running on bioethanol E85, Saab said its cars typically emit 50–70% less fossil carbon dioxide (CO2) than their petrol equivalents.


    Nash with his BioPower Budget