Volvo and Ford now co-operate in many areas and they both have launched bio-fuel car models for the Irish market that have a lot of similarities. Design and production co-operation between these companies has resulted in Volvo’s new S40 Flexifuel model, with similar features to the Ford Focus FlexiFuel introduced over a year ago. 

Volvo now offers the S40 model with a 1.8 litre Flexifuel engine that can be run on bio-ethanol or petrol. This cleaner car option is competitively priced at €25,800 before delivery charges.

Volvo’s bio-fuel cars, along with Ford and Saab have been strong contenders on the Scandinavian market, where the government supports the move with more attractive tax advantages by opting for the bio-fuel route both on the day of car purchase and in terms of running costs at the pump. We here in Ireland are still lagging behind, but moving in the right direction in terms of government support.

This year’s Budget is expected to offer some new opportunities in terms of fuel efficiency and motor car taxation. But at this stage it’s a wait and see game as there are no leaks from the Department of Finance on its plans for changes to the Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT).

Car companies like Volvo are prepared and the new Volvo S40 FlexiFuel that I drove recently provides proof of that. This car is based on the standard S40 with the option of a FlexiFuel engine that can be run on ethanol fuel or petrol or a mix of both. Ford has offered the same technology.

The bio-ethanol available in Ireland is produced from a milk by-product, so it’s naturally available as a type of waste from the milk processing industry. Irish oil supplier Maxol is the only provider of the E85 bio-ethanol fuel in Ireland and it gets it from a West Cork based dairy processing company called Carbury Milk Products.

So why opt for the bio-fuel powered Volvo S40 FlexiFuel? Price and running costs are always motivation factors. The Volvo S40 1.8F is cheapest models in the S40 range, due to a government rebate on the Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) for this model. This puts the entry price at €25,800 before delivery charges.