In accordance with the government’s directive for all petroleum companies to supply RON95 petrol formulated to meet the Euro4M standard from January 1, 2020, Boustead Petroleum Marketing Sdn Bhd – the company marketing BHPetrol – confirms that all its stations nationwide are supplying the upgraded fuel.
“Our tankers have been delivering the upgraded BHPetrol Infiniti RON95 Euro4M to stations nationwide since the final week of 2019. We are proud to confirm that all our BHPetrol stations nationwide now supply only Infiniti RON95 petrol with the Euro4M standard,” said Ir. Azizul Azily Ahmad, Acting CEO of Boustead Petroleum Marketing.
Better for the environment
The Euro4M standard replaces the Euro2M standard for RON95 petrol (RON97 petrol was upgraded to Euro4M earlier). With the higher standard, the sulphur content has been significantly reduced to 50 parts per million (ppm) from 500 ppm that was allowed for the Euro2M standard. The reduction of sulphur means that exhaust emissions will be cleaner, a benefit to the environment.
Less sulphur will also decrease the engine’s acid levels, extending the life of the engine and there will also be less clogging in the fuel delivery system. BHPetrol Infiniti RON95 Euro4M will therefore keep the engine operating efficiently, ultimately giving the best fuel economy and performance.
High-performance additives
Like BHPetrol Infiniti RON97 Euro4M, the new Infiniti RON95 Euro4M also has a package of high-performance additives from a global specialist supplier of fuel additives. These additives have various functions such as cleaning and preventing deposit formation as well as reducing internal friction. The additive package is included at maximum strength (800 ppm) for the best performance.
“Our imported BHPetrol Infiniti fuels are now cleaner and of a higher grade. We include the exclusive additive package in the advanced formulation at no extra cost to customers to give them the best performance. This is another extraordinary result of our commitment to better meet customer needs,” said Ir. Azizul.
400 stations and expanding
At present, there are about 400 BHPetrol stations around the country. 290 of these include a BHPetromart convenience store offering services that include Touch ‘n Go reloads, E-Pay, ATM and of course, the sale of food and drinks. Certain stations also have car-wash services as well as charging stations for electric vehicles.
“We will continue expanding our station network this year in order to make BHPetrol fuels and other services easy to obtain. Even if you don’t need to refuel, do drop by for a break, especially when you are on a long journey,” Ir. Azizul said.
Customers and the public wishing to know more about BHPetrol Infiniti fuels and other BHPetrol products and services as well as the locations of stations can visit www.bhpetrol.com.my.
In accordance with the government’s directive, all petroleum companies must supply RON95 petrol meeting Euro4M standards from January 1, 2020. As it takes times to replace the fuel in storage tanks, the companies would already have been sending the new supplies by now and at some stations, the pumps would already be dispensing the Euro4M petrol.
It would seem that PETRONAS stations have seen a quicker replacement rate – perhaps due to the increased demand during the holiday season as well as the popularity of their fuels – and the national oil corporation has announced that all its stations nationwide are now supplying Euro4M RON95 fuel.
No change in price
The price of the upgraded fuel is unchanged from before and follows whatever is set by the Automated Pricing Mechanism (APM) which is used to determine the retail prices each week. At present, the price of RON95 has been maintained at RM2.08 a litre although it would actually cost motorists RM2.28 a litre if not for subsidies amounting to RM70.61 million for this week. RON97, which is a Euro4M fuel already, is unsubsidised so its price fluctuates each week.
The new fuel specifications contain just 50 parts per million (ppm) sulphur, which is 10 times less than the Euro2M standard that has been applied for RON95 petrol for a long time. Additionally, the benzene content is reduced by 30% to 3.5% while vapour pressure is reduced by 7% to 65kPa. All this means that the fuel is cleaner, which is good for both the engine and the environment.
Upgrading to the Euro4M spec does not mean that the engine will become more powerful, as some people mistakenly think. The engine has a rated output which will be produced when it is new. However, over time, due to wear and tear and formation of deposits, the actual output may start to go down and the engine’s efficiency will also change. The change will be gradual but it happens, which is why regular maintenance is important if you want optimum performance all the time.
Fuel efficiency improved
What this new cleaner fuel – which PETRONAS calls Primax 95 with Pro-Drive – can do is enable the engine to run more efficiently as it has a lower sulphur content so things like the injectors don’t get clogged up. The various additives in the petrol also work to remove deposits and prevent formation, allowing the engine to run at its best, often accompanied by smoother operation. But you cannot expect an engine that it originally rated to produce 100 ps to produce 110 ps just by changing to Euro4M!
“Our RON95 fuel has been upgraded to Euro4M standard at all our stations since early December. With this upgrade, our customers will not just enjoy a smoother, more responsive and efficient drive, but also a cleaner fuel which works together with today’s modern vehicles in reducing air pollution to deliver both health and climate benefits. Ultimately, PETRONAS Primax 95 with Pro-Drive is good for the engine, and the environment,” said the MD & CEO of PETRONAS Dagangan Berhard, Dato’ Sri Syed Zainal Abidin Syed M. Tahir.
To find out more about the new enhanced PETRONAS Primax with Pro-Drive that is Euro4M- compliant, visit www.mymesra.com.my.
‘Pay, Pump & Go’ with Setel at all Petronas stations in Klang Valley
Finally, RON95 petrol will get an upgrade after years of uncertainty. Where progressive upgrading of fuel standards has been concerned, the Malaysian government has been slow to provide the industry with a ‘roadmap’ of when changes would occur. In the years that followed the first introduction of fuel standards in 1995, there was hope that a schedule would be planned so that carmakers could likewise plan their engine production and supply to meet new standards, while petroleum companies could plan their investments as the years went by. A schedule was indicated in 2006 but it was not sufficiently firm and industry players kept asking for more definite time-frames to be given.
RON97 petrol got an upgrade to Euro4M but where RON95 was concerned, its standard remained stagnant for years. Diesel was also kept at Euro2 for a long time until the government allowed the supply of the Euro5 grade as an option for vehicles with newer engines.
The reluctance to upgrade standards would have been largely due to the subsidies being provided. If the fuel standards were upgraded, processing costs would go up and the petroleum companies would not be willing to absorb the cost, so subsidies would have to increase if price levels were to be maintained. As it is, the government had to allow that extra 10 sen for the cleaner Euro5 diesel while RON97 was set at a higher price which could at least cover the extra cost of production.
According to a Bernama report, RON95 petrol will be upgraded to Euro4M from next month, bringing it to the same standard as RON97. Actually, the move would have occurred earlier (October 2018) but the government postponed it to have further discussions with involved parties. However, January 2020 was final because of Malaysia’s international commitments to do its part in protecting the environment.
In Europe, the Euro standards began in 1992 and reached the Euro6 level in 2014 with implementation starting in September 2015. The industry was informed that in 2022, there will be a revised standard – Euro 6d – where new models must pass the real-world test with lower limits, effectively equalling the levels in the laboratory test (with some allowance for the equipment).
The ’M’ in Euro4M identifies it as a Malaysian variation of the Euro4 standard originally established by directives applied in the European Union (EU). From what we understand, certain factors are taken into consideration with respect to local issues and conditions so a modified standard was created for Malaysia, hence the ‘M’ suffix.
Benefits of Euro4M
Going from Euro 2M to Euro 4M isn’t going to mean increased performance although there can be a slight benefit in that aspect. This is because the engine will be able to operate more efficiently as the reduction in the level of sulphur in the fuel drops to 50 parts per million (ppm) from 500 ppm. The lower sulphur content will enable carmakers to introduce engines with more effective emission control systems, reducing the toxic levels in exhaust gases.
The upgrade to Euro4M for RON95 takes place as subsidies for the fuel grade start to be gradually removed, coinciding with the Petrol Subsidy Program (PSP) for specific groups to begin in January 2020. The government has said that it plans to increase the price of RON95 petrol by 1 sen each week until it reaches the level established by the Automatic Pricing Mechanism (APM) which is used to determine pump prices. The plan was announced last month by the Deputy Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister who said it would reduce the burden on the public and prevent prices from spiking once subsidies are removed.
For this week, the APM has established that the real-world price of RON95 fuel should be RM2.36 but it is sold at RM2.08 a litre with a subsidy of RM99.48 million. If the real-world price remained at RM2.36, then with a 1-sen increase each week, the price level would be reached in 28 weeks. Thereafter, the weekly price would be based on whatever the APM determines.
First details of targeted fuel subsidies revealed, starting January 2020
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