New Engine Technologies Could Give New Life (and Larger Markets) to Ethanol
by Robert Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA) The use of E-85 (85% ethanol) fuel in “Flex-Fuel” vehicles has been limited by its 25 percent lower energy content than gasoline. When used in engines designed for only gasoline, this results in approximately 25 percent less mileage for a fuel that costs as much as gasoline. So, unless E-85 costs 70% of the price of gasoline (If gasoline is $2.65/gallon, E-85 would have to sell at $1.86/gallon.), there will continue to be little demand for E-85.
However, new engine designs that utilize the positive ability of ethanol to resist early ignition could regain much of this fuel economy loss. Possibly even more important, these engine designs produce increased low speed power (torque) when using E-85. This torque increase could allow lower-cost E-85 engines to replace more expensive diesel engines in light-duty trucks such as the Ford F-150.
The widespread use of these engines in both automobiles and light trucks could create a US market for cellulosic E-85 in excess of that mandated by the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). It is very important to realize that this market would be a sustainable, rather than an artificial market, since it would be based on vehicles having equal or superior performance characteristics to gasoline or diesel powered vehicles. READ MORE
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