What is the difference between essEnce5 and E85?

EssEnce5 is a blend of 95% petrol and 5% bioethanol. It is already an improvement on conventional petrol, since it provides a 3.5% reduction in CO₂ emissions and makes use of local raw materials. If all conventional petrol were replaced by essEnce5, Switzerland would already have achieved 20% of its objectives for reducing CO₂ emissions from fuels under the Kyoto Protocol. EssEnce₅ is distributed by over 120 service stations in Switzerland, and several companies and government administrations have adopted it for their vehicle fleets.

E85 consists of 85% bioethanol and only 15% petrol, enabling a fourfold reduction in CO₂ emissions compared with petrol. E85 requires a dual or "flexi" fuel vehicle (FFV) that can run just as well on either E85 or conventional petrol or, of course, on essEnce5. As only minor changes need to be made for this system, the price of an FFV is very close to that of the basic model. Contrary to essEnce₅, whose consumption is equivalent to that of conventional petrol, E85 has a higher consumption level (+20%). However, this is offset by lower fuel cost than that of petrol. E85 is distributed in about 45 service stations in Switzerland.