You probably haven’t noticed it, but you haven’t been driving with the same fuel since October 1st: here’s what’s changed…
Since October 1, gas stations are required to provide motorists with a new type of fuel.
Published on 03/10/2024 at 20:31
Every October 1, the diesel and gasoline offered at Belgian service stations change. A “winter fuel” thus replaces the “summer fuel”. But actually, what exactly does this change?
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“There are temperature differences between seasons, which means that for the engine to function properly, you have to use winter fuel,” explains Emmanuel Cécille, Energy and Environment advisor at Brafco, the Belgian Federation of Traders. in Fuels and Fuels.
“For example, for the gasoline engine, we add butane to the fuel to increase the vapor pressure. This will allow the engine to start more quickly in cold weather. In diesel, these are additives that are added to resist low temperatures,” he explains.
Concretely, in winter, the fuel is thus adapted so that the engines operate correctly with outside temperatures of -10 degrees. “In Scandinavia, other additives are used to resist temperatures of -20 degrees,” notes Emmanuel Cécille.
A negligible impact on the price at the pump
This change in fuel type has no real impact on the price at the pump. The fact that the additives are more economical is in fact offset by the cost of transporting them to the stations.
CO2 emissions remain the same
At an environmental level, we also do not notice any difference between “summer” fuel and “winter” fuel. “CO2 emissions remain the same,” confirms the energy expert.
The players most impacted by this change are probably the gas stations themselves. But they have time to prepare for it. “Brafco is making official communications to remind pumps to empty their stock before winter in order to be able to put in the new type of fuel. They are used to it anyway since they do it every year,” he says.
In seven months, they will once again have to provide motorists with “summer fuel.” » “In terms of dates, these changes always occur on October 1st and May 1st,” notes Emmanuel Cécille, who specifies that these variations are not specific to Belgium: “They are the product of European standards that all Member States must follow. »
Good news for some, bad for others: the prices of diesel and gasoline will change tomorrow, watch out for unpleasant surprises at the pump
As for whether they will one day change due to global warming, we still do not know, but this does not seem to be on the agenda. In fact, it still happens that the mercury drops low in Belgium, even if the winters are not very harsh there.
