As of the weekend, petrol stations in Serbia are using different fuel labels, in accordance with a European Union directive.
In addition to Serbia, 28 other countries will also have to comply with the directive, including Turkey, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Macedonia. The UK will decide whether it will comply with the directive after Brexit.
“We expect that this directive will improve the collection state fuel excise tax, as the drivers will know what they`re buying and those who operate in fuel business fairly will be protected from those fuel vendors who engage in shady practices”, the vice president of the The Association of the Private Petrol Stations, Borivoje Tatic, said for the Vecernje Novosti daily.
The directive came into effect on October 12th and the regulatory authorities are in charge of controlling its implementation in Serbia. In practice, corresponding labels will have to be displayed on fuel-dispensing units and filler nozzles, as well as on all vehicles manufactured and sold on these markets after October 11th of the current year.
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Diesel fuel labels will be square and marked B7 (up to 7%) or B10 and will mark the percentage of biofuel, whereas synthetic diesel fuels will be marked XTL.
Petrol fuel labels will be round in shape and marked E5, E10, or E85, depending on the percentage of bioethanol.
The value of ethanol is important because many car engines don`t react well to higher ethanol values which can corrode certain materials such as rubber, plastic or aluminium. It is estimated that in Germany, for example, 90% of all cars can use E10 without any significant issues. Judging by the current state, the most common petrol label on the domestic market will be E5 which means that up to 5% of ethanol present in petrol is the least aggressive amount. CNG (compressed natural gas) and LNG (liquefied natural gas) labels will be diamond-shaped.
The EU directive defines the infrastructure for alternative fuels all across the EU and what constitutes alternative fuels.
(Vecernje Novosti, 15.10.2018)
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