KEY POINTS:
Policy makers have been urged not to make hasty decisions about biofuels which may backfire on New Zealand's existing vehicle fleet.
Wellington-based automotive consultant Gordon Shaw told a land transport conference in Auckland yesterday that he had nothing against biofuels, but questioned the level of research behind the Government's announcement of mandatory sales targets for such products.
"I don't want to see us going down a path where we end up with a system that doesn't work," he said.
Mr Shaw, a former Government transport official, said most Japanese cars on New Zealand roads were unsuitable for biofuel-petrol blends of more than 3 per cent ethanol.
Although Japanese manufacturers had recently begun making cars to run on 5 per cent ethanol, it would take some time for these to make a big impact on the NZ vehicle fleet, regardless of what he said was Climate Change Minister David Parker's enthusiasm for a 10 per cent mix.
"It [the fleet] can run on that fuel, but for you and I, that means we have to get our fuel lines replaced - because ethanol can be quite corrosive. Then we have to change our [fuel] filters," Mr Shaw said.
"And what's going to happen the first time a car stops at the lights and bursts into flames because the fuel system couldn't cope with ethanol?"
The Government last week announced that sales obligations starting in April next year would require oil companies to supply 3.4 per cent of their product as biofuel by 2012.
On the question of whether motorists would have a choice, it said bio-ethanol blends were likely to replace either 91-octane or 95-octane petrol, but that would be up to producers and retailers.
Mr Shaw was more enthusiastic about the potential climate-change benefits of hybrid vehicles.
He described them as fuel-efficient, clean burning and reliable.
But although a Toyota Prius operated as a Canadian taxi had clocked up 410,000km on a single re-chargeable battery, there were difficulties in disposing of powerpacks at the end of their lives.
He also questioned what he said was short notice given by Mr Parker to officials to design a fuel-economy labelling system for car buyers, such as were available in Japan, Australia and Britain.
He believed it would be relatively easy to work with Japanese authorities to translate the labels for New Zealand buyers, and some second-hand imports were already arriving here with green or blue fuel-economy ratings still attached.
Yet the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, working to a deadline of April to report back to the minister, was proposing a labelling scheme based on the energy-rating system used for household electronic goods such as refrigerators.
Mr Shaw said the labelling initiative was useful, but an extra incentive such as a discounted registration fee for running a fuel-efficient vehicle, was needed.
