Super Eco 20 - More climate protection immediately for the existing fleet

Approximately 100 octane, approximately 15 percent CO₂ savings compared to purely fossil petrol (own calculation), less particulate matter and nitrogen oxide emissions and the whole thing with existing infrastructure – there is a lot to be said for the introduction of the new fuel called "Super Eco 20". Dr Fritz Georg von Graevenitz, CSO of CropEnergies AG, agrees: "Together with many partners, we have been testing E20 on vehicles for technical compatibility and emissions for several years. We are convinced that E20 is the next sensible step for the existing fleet of petrol vehicles, in order to include the existing combustion engines more strongly in climate protection."

The fact that the fuel can only be tested on defined fleets is due to the standardisation procedures for fuels. "First, the EU must approve a fuel with more than 10 percent ethanol in principle. Then a fuel is standardised at the national level. That means it is determined which technical parameters a fuel must have. This regulatory process is unfortunately quite lengthy," explains Dr Jörg Bernard, Deputy Head of Research & Development and fuel expert at CropEnergies’ parent company Südzucker AG. "By the definition of the standard, Super E10 has a content of 0 to 10 percent ethanol, which means that no consumer knows how much ethanol is contained in their E10 and exactly how high the contribution to climate protection is. A "real" Super E10 would make more sense. And this is precisely why we have named our test fuel "Super Eco 20": Nearly 20 vol.-percent ethanol from residues, about 100 octane, defined climate protection and the whole thing is affordable. We want to make climate protection visible and give consumers security," adds Fritz Georg von Graevenitz.

Making climate protection visible is also the declared goal of Dr Marko Babic, Robert Bosch GmbH, Head of Product Area - Air Quality and Sustainable Solutions: "Part of the trial is also the testing of a prototype of a digital fuel twin. We want to make it possible for customers to see and know what they are filling up with and thus actively decide in favour of climate protection. Corporate fleets should also be able to report their CO₂ reduction through renewable fuels in the sustainability report.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Garbe, Head of Development Energy Sources Volkswagen Group, knows that a new fuel only makes sense if the vehicles can tolerate it. "We have tested many VW engines of the latest design for Super Eco 20 and could approve many vehicles for the new fuel if the appropriate standardisation were to be introduced. For the CropEnergies AG test, we checked, together with our colleagues from the Volkswagen Group, if the fuel is technically safe for the respective models. Even for the older models in the fleet, we have no concerns for the application."

Mabanaft GmbH & Co KG from Hamburg is responsible for supplying the E20. Stefanie Boenisch, Project Manager from the Sustainable Fuels team at Mabanaft, is certain: "A fuel with almost 20 vol.-percent ethanol absolutely makes sense. Not only because we are including the existing fleet of vehicles with combustion engines in climate protection within the existing infrastructure, but also because ethanol is a perfect companion for the future use of synthetic fuels (e.g. eFuels) as an octane booster."

Boris Bastkowski, Managing Director of Oktan Tankstellen GmbH, is convinced that more could be done in terms of climate protection: "We were very happy to agree to provide this fuel at the filling station in Mannheim for the Südzucker Group fleets. Even today, more climate protection is possible with combustion engines. We want to prove that here in a practical way".

Hans-Peter Gai, COO of Südzucker Group and responsible for the CropEnergies division, is enthusiastic about the test: "Get the Power of Plants” is the name of our group strategy 2026 PLUS. This power is clearly visible in the Super Eco 20. I'm already looking forward to filling up my car with E20 for the first time."

In addition to the logistical and digital aspects, the fuel test also includes advanced technical tests for mixed fuelling and oil dilution. "Qualitative tests on different vehicle models were carried out very carefully in the past. Now the focus will lie on quantitative tests. Therefore, we would be pleased if other companies in the area with fleets would join us in the test," Graevenitz concludes.