FLEX FUEL VEHICLE IN PERSPECTIVE
…As ETHCO Spins a Mile in Memory
By Tiwonge Newa

Fourth October 2007 will go down in the history of Malawi as a day when the country moved yet another milestone in its endeavor to solve fuel problems in the country. This is the day when Ethanol Company Limited (ETHCO) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST) launched a Flex Fuel Vehicle at Mount Soche Hotel which Ethanol Company Limited imported from Brazil through CFAO Malawi, one of the leading motor dealers in the country. The launch was graced by the Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Honorable Richard Msowoya MP. The Brazilian ambassador designate to Malawi was also in attendance.

This vehicle is part of the Malawi government project being piloted by DST at Lilongwe Technical College. The involvement of ETHCO is a very good example of public-private sector partnership which everyone need to promote if we are to move from an importing and consuming country to a producing and exporting country, in line with the vision of our president, His Excellency Dr Bingu Wa Mtharika.

This type of vehicles that use 100% Ethanol or Petrol or any mixture of the two are expected to bring immense benefits to the country.

It is anticipated that these vehicles will help in solving the problem of the much needed foreign exchange (forex). The country will be able to save the hard earned forex by reducing the Petrol Importation Bill. This means that the saved forex would be channeled towards other pressing issues.

The price of Fuel Ethanol is also reasonably cheaper than that of petrol. Lower prices would translate into more savings by the people who would be using these vehicles. In the end it would encourage investment since money saved from high petrol costs would be readily available for investment in other sectors of our economy.

Use of Fuel Ethanol can also help in solving the problem of imported inflation (inflations that emanates from rising fuel prices at the global market). For example, if petrol price go up at the world market it means the country would also expect an increase in its petrol price since it is imported. This would also translate into high transport costs and higher prices of goods and services.  But if Malawians use Fuel Ethanol there would be no problem of imported inflation as this fuel is produced locally

The country is also expected to see a significant reduction in the freight costs. Malawi relies heavily on its neighbors’ ports such as Beira, Nacala and Dar-es-salaam for importation of petroleum products. Since Fuel Ethanol is produced locally, freight costs of petrol are projected to be substantially reduced.

The other benefit is that of energy independence. Since Fuel Ethanol is locally produced, it would increase energy independence, improve energy security and reduce the need for petrol imports. The product is a strategic commodity in case we are cut out by civil unrest in our neighbors or floods enroute to the ports.

Fuel Ethanol will also help in creating renewable energy (source of energy which can hardly be exhausted). The fuel is produced from renewable sources, in this case sugarcane. This is unlike depending on fossil fuels that take billions of years to be regenerated. The use of renewable energy sources is being promoted globally. Most of the technology for non renewable energy is expensive for an average Malawian. If the other non renewable energy technologies are out of reach for most Malawians, then the use of Flex Fuel Vehicle would compensate for that loss and would remain a logical choice for many.

Environmentally, the use of Fuel Ethanol would assist in reducing carbon monoxide by promoting a more complete combustion since there is a net reduction of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.

Carbon dioxide is a normal product of burning fuels that contribute to global warming (general rise in global temperatures which is as a result of carbon dioxide accumulation in the atmosphere, shielding sun rays from passing back through it). But if the country promotes the use of Fuel Ethanol it means global warming would be reduced. This is so because the use of Fuel Ethanol would call for large scale cane growing which biologically absorbs more carbon dioxide than is released by manufacturing and using Ethanol.

Furthermore cross border travelers need not to worry when traveling out of the country going to non ethanol producing countries. Your Flexi Fuel Vehicle can also use petrol.

All in all Fuel Ethanol usage is becoming more important world wide due to its enormous benefits and since Malawi has the raw material and the technology to produce it, it becomes imperative to promote the use of Flex Fuel Vehicle.