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Summary of our market study
French bioethanol market estimated at $4 billion
The global bioethanol market, valued at $83.4 billion in 2023, is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 6.6% to 2028.
Bioethanol, mainly used as a renewable fuel blended with gasoline, is experiencing increased demand due to technological advances and the trend towards greener energy sources.
The United States, Brazil and Germany are the main producers, with France ranking fourth worldwide, contributing 5% to global production.
France relies heavily on imports from European countries. In 2021, it imported 6.1 million hectolitres of undenatured ethyl alcohol, and exported 6.7 million hectolitres, down 23% on 2020.
Growing appetite for bioethanol in France
As the world's fourth-largest producer, with over 2 million tonnes produced annually, France has made great strides towards integrating bioethanol into its energy mix in the transport sector. The French bioethanol market can be estimated at around $4 billion. This estimate is based on France's 5% contribution to the global market ($83 billion)
As bioethanol represents a significant proportion of the biofuels consumed in gasoline engines, its footprint in the French fuel landscape is quite significant. SP95-E10, a fuel containing up to 10% bioethanol, will account for over 55% of total gasoline consumption by 2022.
This explosion in demand is due to a number of factors, not least the growing popularity of "Flex Fuel" vehicles and bioethanol kits. These kits enable conventional vehicles to adapt to bioethanol-based fuels. The use of "Flex Fuel" vehicles and bioethanol conversion kits is on the rise, with 85,000 kits sold in 2022, tripling sales compared with 2021. France has seen a 67% year-on-year increase in the fleet of E85-compatible vehicles.
Concerns remain among consumers about the risk of vehicle deterioration, loss of warranties, reduced performance, and a parallel environmental debate about the sustainable production of the raw materials needed to make bioethanol.
Legislation encourages a steady increase in the use of renewable energies. The country has a progressive plan for biofuels, which imposes a minimum incorporation of biofuels in traditional fuels. In line with European targets, this plan calls for a 9-10% incorporation rate by 2023, representing further growth on the 7% of previous years.
Bioethanol market players
Manufacturers and installers of production units
- Maguin: a leading equipment manufacturer
- TechnipFMC: a leader in the design and construction of production units.
- Vinci Energies: Present worldwide, Vinci Energies brings its expertise in energy efficiency and project management, installing systems that support the sustainable production of bioethanol.
- AtkinsRealis: This company plays a key role in setting up bioethanol production facilities, ensuring that the process meets industry standards and sustainability criteria.
Agricultural player
- Tereos Groupe: As a major producer in the bioethanol industry, Tereos supplies biofuel for transportation.
- Cristal Union: Another heavyweight in bioethanol production, Cristal Union uses agricultural crops such as sugar beet to produce fuel.
- Bioénergie du Sud-Ouest (Vertex Bioenergy): This regional producer emphasizes the importance of local bioethanol production.
Automotive innovators adopting Flex Fuel technology
- Ford
- Renault :
- Volvo Group
- Stellantis (Peugeot, Citroën, Jeep, Opel)
- Volkswagen Group
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Market overview and definition
Bioethanol is a renewable, liquid fuel for gasoline engines, produced from biomass, i.e. plant matter. There are different types of bioethanol, depending on the raw material used: corn, beet, rapeseed... There are also different generations of bioethanol, with the first generation using raw materials that are also used for human consumption, thus competing with our vital needs. The current challenge is to develop the 2ᵉ and 3ᵉ generations of bioethanol in order to resolve this conflict of use.
Bioethanol is overwhelmingly used as a fuel, blended into gasoline with fossil fuels. There are three types of fuel using bioethanol on the French market:
- sP98 and SP95 containing up to 5% bioethanol, for petrol and flex-fuel cars;
- sP95-E10 containing 10% bioethanol, for petrol and flex-fuel vehicles;
- superethanol-E85 (or simply E85), containing 65% to 85% bioethanol, for flexible-fuel cars only.
Global bioethanol production is on an upward trend, and the market is valued at $83.4 billion in 2023. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.6% until 2028. The world's leading producers are the United States, Brazil and Germany. Global production is set to rise sharply over the next few years, as government regulators set ever-higher incorporation rates in fuels for sale on the market. At the same time, demand for ethanol is driven by technological advances and increased research. The lower production costs of these energy sources should lead to increased consumption.
France, a 4ᵉ world producer, is a major European player. It is the main supplier of the raw materials used in bioethanol production, but also relies heavily on imports, particularly from European countries. Most of its production is destined for domestic consumption, and bioethanol-based fuels are becoming increasingly popular, as in the case of SP95-E10, which accounted for 56% of petrol consumed in France in 2022.
The bioethanol sector is therefore set to expand significantly in the years ahead, and the growing popularity of "Flex Fuel" vehicles and bioethanol kits, making conventional vehicles compatible with new fuels such as E85, are further growth factors to be taken into account.
1.2 The global bioethanol market
The global bioethanol market is estimated at $**.* billion in ****, and is expected to grow at a CAGR of *.*% to ****.
Global bioethanol market size World, **** - ****, in $ billions Source: ****
Against a backdrop of depleting energy resources and the promotion of renewable energies, notably through the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals(***), the biofuels ...
1.3 The French bioethanol market
It's extremely difficult to calculate the size of the bioethanol market in France. This is because ethanol is incorporated into a variety of fuels sold at different prices, and is produced from many different raw materials, the most widely used of which is corn.
Breakdown of raw materials used in ethanol ...
1.4 Significant imports
France consumes most of the bioethanol it produces, and its export balance varies from year to year, being positive in **** but negative in ****.
Volume of bioethanol consumed and export balance France, **** - ****, in thousands of hL Source: ****
In ****, domestic consumption of bioethanol, whether produced locally or imported and sourced from local ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 Bioethanol, increasingly present in French fuels
Bioethanol is used in France in blends with commercial gasolines, notably in SP**-E* (***).
Source: ****
ETBE (***) is a chemical compound produced from bioethanol and isobutene. It is designed to be incorporated into commercial gasolines up to a maximum :
Source: ****
ETBE (***) has historically been the preferred method for incorporating ethanol into gasoline, ...
2.2 Bioethanol-based gasolines, a fast-growing consumer segment
SP**-E**, also known as "E**" (***), accounted for **% of total gasoline consumption, up from **.*% in ****. By December ****, this figure had risen to **.*%, with SP**-E** recording a slight increase in fuel consumption of between *% and *% over SP**. However, its price per liter is a few euro cents lower[***].
Market share of ...
2.3 A conflict over the use of raw materials
The bioethanol industry systematically supplies two markets from its agricultural production: the food and feed markets (***) or beet, systematically generates animal feed. Indeed, each kilo of bioethanol produces an average of * kg of protein-rich feed. More precisely :
* kg of cereals yield * kg of ethanol, * kg of spent grain (***) and * kg ...
2.4 Demand driven by Flex Fuel engines and bioethanol kits
Many vehicles are not originally compatible with the use of bioethanol as a fuel. Today, however, there's a solution - the bioethanol kit- that makes these vehicles compatible with these new fuels.
Vehicles fitted with "Flex Fuel" engines are those that are directly compatible with bioethanol, so bioethanol kits are not ...
3 Market structure
3.1 Value chain
Source: ****
The value chain above summarizes the main methods used to produce bioethanol, right up to its incorporation into gasoline. Corn, wheat and beet are in fact the three main raw materials used in making bioethanol (***). There are other techniques for producing bioethanol, and there is a wide variety of players ...
3.2 How the biofuel industry works
As bioethanol is a product of the biofuels sector, we're going to detail the different segments of this sector and the professions encountered within it.
TheInterprofession des huiles et protéines végétales(***), founded in ****, represents the vegetable oil and protein sector. Its aim is to promote sustainable agriculture that ...
3.3 Overview of the bioethanol sector
The main mission of the Collective du bioéthanol, an organization represented by theAssociation Interprofessionnelle de la Betterave et du Sucre(***), is to disseminate information about the bioethanol industry. This mission is aimed not only at professionals in the sector, but also at the general public[***].
France is structured around large ...
3.4 The gasoline sector in France
In ****, sales of road fuels reached **.* million m*, an increase of *.*% on the previous year 's figure of **.* million m*.the share of petrol in this total increased from **.*% in **** to **.*% in ****. This increase of almost *% underlines a slight growth in the use of gasoline, to the detriment of diesel, in ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 The different generations of bioethanol
Bioethanol is one of the biofuels produced from biomass, which includes raw materials of plant, animal or waste origin. Biofuels, derived from biomass, are used for energy in transport and heating. Mainly used as additives to fossil fuels, they are divided into three generations based on biomass origin and transformation processes. ...
4.2 Advantages and disadvantages of bioethanol
The use of biofuels blended with traditional fuels in the transport sector aims to meet several challenges:
reducing greenhouse gas emissions : the CO* emitted when bioethanol is burned in engines is of atmospheric origin, captured and absorbed by plants as they grow. Moreover, bioethanol does not emit particles during combustion[***]; anticipate ...
4.3 Bioethanol, an economical fuel
The bioethanol sector has certainly seen an increase in agricultural costs and energy prices, particularly gas. However, despite these increases, superethanol E** maintains its main advantage: its pump price remains competitive with other fuels. The table below illustrates this, with average prices for a full tank in October ****:
Source: ****
E** is ...
5 Regulations
5. Current regulations
France's Energy Transition Law for Green Growth, enacted on August **, ****, sets ambitious goals for reducing the use of fossil fuels. It provides for an increase in the proportion of renewable energies, particularly advanced biofuels, in road and air transport, in order to achieve these goals. This measure also contributes to the ...
6 Positioning the players
6. Market segmentation
- APM Maersk
- Ford
- Renault Groupe
- Volvo Group (Renault Trucks et Volvo Trucks)
- Stellantis (Groupe PSA et Fiat)
- Volkswagen Group
- TechnipFMC
- Vinci Energies
- Tereos Groupe
- Cristal Union
- Bioénergie du Sud-Ouest
- AtkinsRéalis
- Maguin
List of charts presented in this market study
- Size of the global bioethanol market
- Main bioethanol-producing countries
- Breakdown of biofuels in the gasoline sector
- Volumes of ethanol produced
- Breakdown of raw materials used in ethanol production
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Latest news
Milence: Normandy's first station for electric trucks - 15/05/2024
- **Electric truck registrations in France in 2023**: around 500 registrations for 620,000 trucks on the road.
- - **Creation of Milence**: 2022, joint venture between Volvo Group, Daimler Truck and Traton Group.
- - **Electric truck registrations in Europe**: 3,000 units.
- - **Electric heavy-duty vehicle registrations in Europe forecast for 2030**: over 200,000 units, representing a market share of 3.2%.
- - **Milence target by 2027**: at least 1,700 high-performance charging stations across Europe.
Stellantis takes a radical turn in China. - 09/12/2023
- Signature of a strategic partnership with Chinese automotive start-up Leapmotor.
- Stellantis will acquire a stake of around 21% in the company for a total of 1.5 billion euros.
- The two companies will also set up a joint venture, Leapmotor International, 51% owned by Stellantis.
- Based in the Netherlands, it will "have exclusive rights to manufacture, export and sell Leapmotor products outside China"
- The Leapmotor International joint venture is targeting 500,000 sales outside China by 2030.
- Deliveries from the Leapmotor International joint venture are scheduled to begin in the second half of 2024.
- Stellantis terminated its joint venture with Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC) in July 2022.
- Stellantis sold three local plants to the Chinese group Dongfeng.
A hydrogen pick-up: Stellantis' answer to Tesla's Cybertruck - 06/12/2023
- Stellantis aims to launch a hydrogen version of a RAM pickup in the USA in late 2026 or early 2027.
- The hydrogen-powered pickup promises a recharge time of less than ten minutes.
- Stellantis also plans to produce a hydrogen-powered utility vehicle at "industrial volumes" in Hordain, northern France, from next year.
- Toyota, another major manufacturer, presented a prototype Hilux that runs on hydrogen.
- Rivian, a new manufacturer, has already started selling its electric van, backed by Amazon and Ford.
Morbihan: Axians Cloud sets up in Larmor-Plage - 09/11/2023
- The Axians Cloud group, Vinci Energies' brand dedicated to telecommunications infrastructures and digital technologies
- Axians Cloud has a workforce of 4,500 and sales of 900 million euros by 2022.
- Axians already has ten offices in Brittany.
- The company's sales growth is around 20%.
Stellantis aims to become world leader in utility vehicles - 24/10/2023
- Stellantis is number one in Europe and aims to become number 1 worldwide in the commercial vehicle market.
- Stellantis market share in Europe: 31%
- Twelve launches planned for Citroën, Peugeot, Fiat and Opel.
- Range of electric versions: from 330 kilometers for the minivan, to 420 for the large van.
- Stellantis has 15 factories worldwide.
- Sales of Stellantis vans in 2022: 1.6 million (out of a total of 5.8 million vehicles sold).
- Commercial vehicles account for 60 billion euros, a third of Stellantis net revenues
- Stellantis aims to double sales of light commercial vehicles by 2030.
- Stellantis' target for 2030: 40% of its LCV sales to be electrically powered.
- amazon and Merchants Fleet have ordered 12,500 electric vehicles
Stellantis steps up a gear in the commercial vehicle segment - 24/10/2023
- Stellantis presented twelve new commercial vehicles in four different brands.
- Commercial vehicles account for a third of Stellantis sales, or 60 billion euros.
- Stellantis intends to double its sales of commercial vehicles by 2030. Stellantis has a 31% market share of commercial vehicle sales in Europe and 28% in South America. The group sold 1.6 million commercial vehicles worldwide last year. Stellantis aims to generate sales of 5 billion euros from connected vehicle services by 2030.
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the bioethanol market | France
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