Harvest Energy/Mace Petrol Stations

Horizon81

My local petrol station has recently changed from a BP to a Harvest Energy/Mace petrol station. I've always been a petrol snob and never put supermarket fuel into any car I've ever owned, favouring Total/Shell/BP instead.

From what I've read Harvest Energy supply the supermarkets and were the cause of that oxygen sensor fiasco in 2007 due to a dodgy batch, so are these new Harvest Energy/Mace petrol stations that are cropping up all the time providing the same fuel as the supermarkets?

vikingaero

Tesco know that they can only eradicate a certain % of petrol stations. So the only alternative is to act as a fuel supplier. Don't worry. It won't be long before we buy oxygen from them!

But the HE/Mace set ups are really a branding exercise similar to convenience stores - Booker/Premier Stores and Batleys/Best One.

Horizon81

vikingaero wrote: »

Tesco know that they can only eradicate a certain % of petrol stations. So the only alternative is to act as a fuel supplier. Don't worry. It won't be long before we buy oxygen from them!

But the HE/Mace set ups are really a branding exercise similar to convenience stores - Booker/Premier Stores and Batleys/Best One.

Ok thanks so ignoring the branding, do they sell the exact same petrol they sell in Tesco?

colino

Just because they don't have many branded fuel stations, don't take them as a Mickey Mouse operation. They supply a lot of ASDA and Morrisons fuel (they are blenders in their own right) and a lot of commercial fleets. The blend wont exactly be the same as Tescos, but it's all produced to the same standards and you wont notice the difference apart from the price.

Horizon81

colino wrote: »

Just because they don't have many branded fuel stations, don't take them as a Mickey Mouse operation. They supply a lot of ASDA and Morrisons fuel (they are blenders in their own right) and a lot of commercial fleets. The blend wont exactly be the same as Tescos, but it's all produced to the same standards and you wont notice the difference apart from the price.

I've never bought supermarket fuel and have no intention of doing so. You concur that the blend is not the same. It seems pretty unclear what comes out of these Harvest Energy pumps so I'm gonna have to give them a swerve and start lining BPs pockets instead.

vikingaero

Horizon81 wrote: »

I've never bought supermarket fuel and have no intention of doing so. You concur that the blend is not the same. It seems pretty unclear what comes out of these Harvest Energy pumps so I'm gonna have to give them a swerve and start lining BPs pockets instead.

Unfortunately you probably HAVE bought supermarket fuel from BP etc.

Most petrol brands have reciprocal agreements with refineries and fuel bunkers in that that refinery will deliver to all brands in the area. Fuel is a costly and dangerous product to transport long distances. So if you bought fuel in the South East it is very likely the base fuel was supplied by Harvest Energy/Greenergy at Thurrock. The only difference is the additive pack specified for each brand - Shell V-Power, BP Ultimate which is added to a tanker delivering to a branded petrol station.

Horizon81

vikingaero wrote: »

Unfortunately you probably HAVE bought supermarket fuel from BP etc.

The only difference is the additive pack specified for each brand - Shell V-Power, BP Ultimate which is added to a tanker delivering to a branded petrol station.

And this is the crux of it all isn't it. I know the base product is the same but it's the additives that make the difference. The oxygen sensor saga of a few years back only affected cars that had filled up with supermarket juice, due to a lack of/dodgy batch of additives. I'm happy to pay the few pence extra per litre for what I supposed you'd call 'branded' fuel with the better additives, it's just my choice of non supermarket outlets is dwindling. So have we concluded that the Harvest Enegry petrol stations sell the same fuel as Tesco etc or will it have its own additives?

worried_jim

http://www.harvestenergy.co.uk/ourfuels

Harvest Energy has its own bespoke software programs for fuel blending and can reconfigure materials to customers' required grades. The economic benefits derived from its production of cost-effective fuels are passed directly to consumers.
Fuels supplied by Harvest Energy meet stringent quality controls, and grades adhere to European and British Standard specifications. In accordance with current legislation, all our road fuels are supplied sulphur-free (i.e. having less than 10 parts per million of sulphur content).
Harvest Energy's standard road fuels suit all vehicle engines without the need for any modifications, and comply in full with vehicle manufacturer warranties.

For more information about the Harvest Energy fuels please contact:
Simon Davis Head of Sales and Logistics
simon@harvestenergy.co.uk

OddballJamie

Horizon81 wrote: »

And this is the crux of it all isn't it. I know the base product is the same but it's the additives that make the difference. The oxygen sensor saga of a few years back only affected cars that had filled up with supermarket juice, due to a lack of/dodgy batch of additives. I'm happy to pay the few pence extra per litre for what I supposed you'd call 'branded' fuel with the better additives, it's just my choice of non supermarket outlets is dwindling. So have we concluded that the Harvest Enegry petrol stations sell the same fuel as Tesco etc or will it have its own additives?

I thought the contaminated fuel issue was down to silicon in the storage tanks, rather than a dodgy batch of additives.