Fuelling industry standardizes fuel labels under EU directive

The increasing number of fuel types at service stations across the old continent has made the European Union standardize fuel labels at the pump.

EU Directive 2014/94/EU on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure requires EU member states and EEA states to improve the information given to consumers who are faced with a choice of fuels for their vehicle.

In order to reach that goal the European Union has drawn up a series of ‘fuel identifiers’ that will be placed on new vehicles and fuel pumps. These identifiers must be in place by October this year, and will start to be increasingly visible in the run up to this date.

When customers arrive at a filling station and open the fuel-filler cap on their vehicle, a common fuel identifier will be visible on both the vehicle and the pump, providing guidance on the fuel that is compatible for use with their vehicle.

The fuel types included are E5, E10 and E85 for petrol; B7, B10 and XTL for diesel; and H2, CNG, LPG and LNG for gaseous fuels.

Informative brochures have been published at www.fuel-identifiers.eu to help consumers and retailers understand the new labels. The brochures have been compiled by a coalition of vehicle manufacturers, fuel refiners and fuel suppliers.