Biofuels will have taken only a 3% share of the market by 2020, says a new report from Just-Auto.com. And by then they will be new synthetic hydrocarbons, because problems with existing biofuels will have seen them fall from favour.

Certainly the ever-increasing sophistication of engine management technology demands ever-more consistent fuel quality to give its best, and existing biofuels naturally vary in quality. Besides, there are already concerns about their effect on the food chain, as government subsidies for growing biofuel crops have resulted in a shortage of food crops and resultant hike in prices in some countries.

The report, available on www.just-auto.com/futurefuels  predicts that fossil fuel reserves will still be plentiful by 2020, though the price is hard to predict. Demand in the developed world will have dropped, but in the developing world, especially India and China, it will have increased significantly.

In the longer term, the report sees hydrogen fuel cells and electric power combining to reduce fossil CO2 emissions to negligible levels. What is the future for classic cars? Well, that's not really in the report's remit, but we reckon the future's not so bleak. Being relatively simple and robust, our engines can be adapted to run on a wide range of fuels. Provided there is sufficient demand (which there is) and our guardians like the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs continue to do such a good job of protecting us from punitive legislation, its highly likely that we will be able to continue driving and enjoying classic cars, probably with the help of relatively inexpensive modifications like hard valve seat inserts for soft cast iron cylinder heads. Watch this space....

Malcolm McKay, Motorbase News Editor