Ford Flexifuel and Irish cheese

Ireland's first bio-fuel car

The Focus Flexifuel Vehicle (Focus FFV) is available as a 1.8-litre Style 5-door andStyle Estate.

The car comes in the full range of Focus body colours and options. And in terms of its driving experience, the FFV is exactly the same as a Focus.

The original Focus has always been a class leader in driving dynamics and safety and the FFV is no different. Whether you've got bioethanol or petrol in the tank, your driving experience will be pure pleasure.

The Ford C-Max FFV is also available as a 1.8-litre ACTIV and also in the full range of colours and options. This car appeals to a wide range of motorists who appreciate the extra space and versatility of this compact multi-activity vehicle (MAV), and the FFV option offers customers the more environmentally friendly, yet high performance motoring alternative.

Benefits to you

As we all know by now, CO₂ emissions are the main greenhouse gasses responsible for global warming. The search is on for innovative ways to reduce these harmful emissions. One option is bioethanol: a renewable fuel produced from the starch or sugar in plants.

Using bioethanol means, the CO₂ emitted by your vehicle was originally extracted during plant growth through photosynthesis. By closing the CO₂ circle, the use of bioethanol can lead to up to 80% reduction in these emissions.

Besides the environmental benefits, the use of a Ford FFV will also enable you to access some governmental incentives as reward for the use of bio-fuel.

For example, on 1 July 2008, the Irish government instituted a new 'green' vehicle registration tax (VRT). The VRT for a Ford FFV is 50% less than for a conventional vehicle. The government is also offering a VAT rebate on the cost of the fuel which could work out at an average saving of €900 per car. This rebate is only available to VAT registered companies.

Although the differential will fluctuate depending on production costs and demand, the fuel itself is approximately 15-20% per litre cheaper than unleaded 95.

The Irish lead the way on cleaner motoring

The Irish clearly care about more environmentally friendly driving and are doing something about it. In the past few years, Ireland has become the third best-selling market of cars that run on bioethanol fuel. Sales of Flexifuel vehicles in Ireland in 2007 rose to almost 1,000 units.

Moreover, our bioethanol partners are Irish companies. The Maxol Group provides the bioethanol that is used to run the Ford FFV models –Maxol Bioethanol E85. And there are 25 Maxol service stations across the country.

Additionally, all of Ireland's ethanol is domestically produced for Maxol by the Carbery Group at a time when most of Europe relies on Brazil for supply.

Turning Irish cheese into bioethanol gold

The group produce the fuel from whey – a milk derivative and bi-product of the cheese manufacturing process. Essentially, the bioethanol is being made from the leftovers of cheese production.

Based in Co. Cork, the factory is the single largest cheese producing facility in Ireland and its bioethanol is considered among the cleanest in the world. This is because, unlike other forms of bio-fuel, it is made without any greenhouse gas emissions. The carbon in the whey is a biological resource, so the CO₂ released was extracted from the atmosphere (not from under the ground).

The cows which produce the milk are 90% grass fed with the balance made up of cereals. On this basis, the ethanol is derived from renewable source – grass and cereals.

The potential for the agricultural sector in Ireland is huge as a new market is evolving for different uses of crops and waste. This is important for the industry, and Ireland as a whole, to help secure local jobs and energy supplies.

Bioethanol filling stations in Ireland (PDF, 12k)