With the price per litre of SP95 approaching two euros, while that of E85 (superethanol) is barely half that, conversion kits have appeared on the marine market.
They are designed to enable outboard engines to run on this fuel.

Ethabox offers a marinised kit that includes a warranty.

How do these kits work?

A sensor fitted in line with the fuel supply detects the ethanol content of the fuel and is therefore able to switch on the box when the detection has taken place. When this is the case, the box takes control of the engine's injection computer. 

Communication and power supply to these elements is provided by a harness supplied in the kit. The harnesses are specially designed for specific makes and models, and are perfectly compatible with the existing connectors. More than 600 motors can be fitted with this device. 

Once the engine is running, the Ethabox box will control and modulate the air-fuel mixture in the injectors to ensure ethanol operation. For E85, the box will open the injectors for longer at each cycle.

Despite their apparent simplicity, these kits are only installed by approved Ethabox installers. 

Guaranteed installation

Ethanol is often criticised for damaging the flexible pipes of internal combustion engines. This is no longer the case with modern engines, as the tubing used in engines meets the ISO 7840 standard, which sets out the characteristics for all fuels, including ethanol.

Ethanol is also criticised for containing water, but again this is not a reality, at least not in France, where the water content is 0.3% lower than in the EU (0.4%). 

Other ethanol-based fuels such as Brazilian E100 (pure ethanol), which contains 4% water, are at the root of this rumour. But Brazilian E100 and E85 have very little in common, and few French customers are going to run their vehicles on a fuel of this type...

Be that as it may, and to avoid any arguments with manufacturers, Ethabox offers a guarantee backed by a specific insurance policy. If the manufacturer's warranty were to be withdrawn following an incident, the Ethabox warranty would take over.

Ethabox + 6-cylinder installation approx. €1,500 incl. VAT, warranty included