Ethanol, Alternative Energy, Renewable Resources

Timeline: Life & Death of the Electric Car

2008-01-20T15:42:00.000-06:00

1832-1839
Scottish inventor Robert Anderson invents the first crude electric carriage powered by non-rechargeable primary cells.

1835
American Thomas Davenport is credited with building the first practical electric vehicle which was a small locomotive.

1859
French physicist Gaston Planté invents the rechargeable lead-acid storage battery. In 1881, his countryman Camille Faure will improve the storage battery's ability to supply current and invent the basic lead-acid battery used in automobiles.

1891
William Morrison of Des Moines, Iowa builds the first successful electric automobile in the United States.

Thomas Edison and an electric car. Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian

1893
A handful of different makes and models of electric cars are exhibited in Chicago.

1897
The first electric taxis hit the streets of New York City early in the year. The Pope Manufacturing Company of Connecticut becomes the first large-scale American electric automobile manufacturer.

1899
Believing that electricity will run autos in the future, Thomas Alva Edison begins his mission to create a long-lasting, powerful battery for commercial automobiles. Though his research yields some improvements to the alkaline battery, he ultimately abandons his quest a decade later.

1900
The electric automobile is in its heyday. Of the 4,192 cars produced in the United States 28 percent are powered by electricity, and electric autos represent about one-third of all cars found on the roads of New York City, Boston, and Chicago.

A Ford Model T

1908
Henry Ford introduces the mass-produced and gasoline-powered Model T, which will have a profound effect on the U.S. automobile market.

1912
Charles Kettering invents the first practical electric automobile starter. Kettering's invention makes gasoline-powered autos more alluring to consumers by eliminating the unwieldy hand crank starter and ultimately helps pave the way for the electric car's demise.

1920
During the 1920s the electric car ceases to be a viable commercial product. The electric car's downfall is attributable to a number of factors, including the desire for longer distance vehicles, their lack of horsepower, and the ready availability of gasoline.

1966
Congress introduces the earliest bills recommending use of electric vehicles as a means of reducing air pollution. A Gallup poll indicates that 33 million Americans are interested in electric vehicles.

1970s
Concerns about the soaring price of oil -- peaking with the Arab Oil Embargo of 1973 -- and a growing environmental movement result in renewed interests in electric cars from both consumers and producers.

1972
Victor Wouk, the "Godfather of the Hybrid," builds the first full-powered, full-size hybrid vehicle out of a 1972 Buick Skylark provided by General Motors (G.M.) for the 1970 Federal Clean Car Incentive Program. The Environmental Protection Association later kills the program in 1976.

Vanguard-Sebring's CitiCar

1974
Vanguard-Sebring's CitiCar makes its debut at the Electric Vehicle Symposium in Washington, D.C. The CitiCar has a top speed of over 30 mph and a reliable warm-weather range of 40 miles. By 1975 the company is the sixth largest automaker in the U.S. but is dissolved only a few years later.

1975
The U.S. Postal Service purchases 350 electric delivery jeeps from AM General, a division of AMC, to be used in a test program.

1976
Congress passes the Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development, and Demonstration Act. The law is intended to spur the development of new technologies including improved batteries, motors, and other hybrid-electric components.

1988
Roger Smith, CEO of G.M. , agrees to fund research efforts to build a practical consumer electric car. G.M. teams up with California's AeroVironment to design what would become the EV1, which one employee called "the world's most efficient production vehicle." Some electric vehicle enthusiasts have speculated that the EV1 was never undertaken as a serious commercial venture by the large automaker.

1990
California passes its Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate, which requires two percent of the state's vehicles to have no emissions by 1998 and 10 percent by 2003. The law is repeatedly weakened over the next decade to reduce the number of pure ZEVs it requires.

1997
Toyota unveils the Prius -- the world's first commercially mass-produced and marketed hybrid car -- in Japan. Nearly 18,000 units are sold during the first production year.

1997 - 2000
A few thousand all-electric cars (such as Honda's EV Plus, G.M.'s EV1, Ford's Ranger pickup EV, Nissan's Altra EV, Chevy's S-10 EV, and Toyota's RAV4 EV) are produced by big car manufacturers, but most of them are available for lease only. All of the major automakers' advanced all-electric production programs will be discontinued by the early 2000s.

2002
G.M. and DaimlerChrysler sue the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to repeal the ZEV mandate first passed in 1990. The Bush Administration joins that suit.

GM EV1 electric car graveyard

2003
G.M. announces that it will not renew leases on its EV1 cars saying it can no longer supply parts to repair the vehicles and that it plans to reclaim the cars by the end of 2004.

2005
On February 16, electric vehicle enthusiasts begin a "Don't Crush" vigil to stop G.M. from demolishing 78 impounded EV1s in Burbank, California. The vigil ends twenty-eight days later when G.M. removes the cars from the facility. In the film "Who Killed the Electric Car" G.M. spokesman Dave Barthmuss states that the EV1s are to be recycled, not just crushed.

2006
A few pure electric cars and plug-in hybrids are in limited production and new ones are on the horizon. Experts differ on how soon rising oil prices, peak oil forecasts, changing fortunes at car companies, and public demand for cars that run without gasoline will resurrect the mass market for electric car in the twenty-first century. The success of the gasoline hybrid Toyota Prius is a promising sign.
www.pbs.org

What's up with Environmental Terms?

2008-01-20T14:22:00.000-06:00

Glossary of Environmental Terms
S3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle): As waste material countermeasures, the 3Rs require reductions in the volume of waste through product resource conservation, longer life of products and reduced generation of by-products in production processes (Reduce); reuse of components (Reuse); and recycling of components (Recycle).

ASR (Automobile Shredder Residue): After disposal of fuel, oil and other liquids by end-of-life vehicle dismantlers, the engines, transmission, tires, batteries and other parts are separated, and the remaining bodies and other parts are dispatched to a shredding facility. They are turned into shredder residue after steel and nonferrous metal particles are separated out for recycling. Recycling technology for this residue is now under development.

AT-PZEV: Advanced technology PZEV – meets PZEV requirements and has additional zero-emission characteristics, like operation by natural gas or by hybrid car's batteries.

End-of-life vehicles: Vehicles that are no longer used for transportation, traditionally disposed of by dismantling, destroying, burning or landfill.

Environmental impact: That which, as a result of human activity, affects the environment and is a cause of interference in environmental conservation.

Greenhouse gases: These are gases (CO₂ , methane, CFC alternatives and others) that absorb the heat (infrared rays) released by the sun-warmed surface of the earth and cause global warming. Greenhouse gases absorb heat and warm the air, but as their density increases, more heat is absorbed, and the air temperature rises, resulting in global warming.

LEV: Low-emission vehicle. The basic standard for 2004 vehicles in California. (It is stricter than Tier 2, the federal standard for 45 states and the District of Columbia.)

PZEV: Partial zero-emission vehicle – Meets SULEV tailpipe standards, has zero evaporative emissions and a 15-year or 150,000-mile warranty on the PZEV equipment.

Recycling-based society: As an alternative to the existing high-consumption, high-waste society, this is an economic society that aims at the simultaneous achievement of environmental consideration and the pursuit of economic rationally through the reduction, reuse and recycling of waste material, restricting as much as possible the use of new resources and minimizing the volume of emissions.

SULEV: Super-ultra-low-emission vehicle – 90 percent cleaner than the average 2003 automobile.

ULEV: Ultra-low-emission vehicle – 50 percent cleaner than the average new 2003 automobile.

Zero emissions: This aims at building a recycling-based society in which the recycling of waste from industrial and other activities and the prevention of waste generation results in a society with no waste. “Zero emissions” has a variety of meanings, but for Subaru it means activities that result in a zero level of waste material to be disposed of in landfills.

ZEV: Zero-emission vehicle – has no tailpipe emissions and is 98 percent cleaner than the average 2003 car. Includes battery-electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel-cell cars.

What Happened to the Electric Car

2008-01-20T14:10:00.000-06:00

The Subaru R1E
Subaru's parent company, Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI), has announced that the R1e electric vehicle will begin silently rolling off dealer lots come 2009, which is a year ahead of schedule. With lithium-ion batteries developed by the Tokyo Electric Power Company, the R1e will have a 50-mile range and a 62-MPH top speed. While the 'range isn't too impressive -- although plenty for typical urban commuting, and it will certainly increase -- the car can be 80-percent recharged in just 8 minutes.

The Japanese Eliica
The Keio Advanced Zero-Emmision Vehicle (KAS) has surfaced with a second-generation model named the Eliica, which stands for electric lithium-ion car. Developed by a team at Keio University headed by Professor Hiroshi Shimizu, the Eliica has four axles with eight wheels. No reason for the extra set of axles is given, though perhaps they're needed when the vehicle is traveling at its top speed of 230 mph, which actually was reached one day last year at the Nardo in Italy. The Eliica takes 10 hours to charge and will travel 125 miles on a charge. It can accelerate to 62 mph in 4.1 seconds, after which we imaging you'd need to recharge it again. The team's goal is beat the top speed of the Bugatti Veyron and produce 200 units of the Eliica for people like George Clooney and that ex-Baywatch babe who still drives an EV1.

The GM Volt
The Concept Chevy Volt. It’s unlike any previous EV (electric vehicle), thanks to its innovative rechargeable electric drive system and range-extending power source. It can be configured to run on electricity, gasoline, E85 or biodiesel. So you have at least a couple of options for the most efficient drive — all made possible by GM’s innovative E-Flex Propulsion System.

The Brazilian OBVIO
Progress is steadily being made to bring the Brazilian-based OBVIO! mini cars to the U.S. through ZAP. The California-based automobile distributor that brought us the SMART fortwo before DaimlerChrysler itself has already prepurchased 50,000 units.

The first model year will be comprised of the 828 and 012 models with flex-fuel engines that can run on 100-percent ethanol, 100-percent gasoline or a combination of both. The Tritec 1.6L four-cylinder motor is mated to a CVT and will reportedly produce 115 horsepower and 149 ft-lbs. of torque while delivering 29.4 mpg city and 40.69 mpg highway running on ethanol. Fuel economy should improve by 10 percent using gasoline, according to OBVIO!. The target price for U.S. consumption of the 828 is $14,000 and the 012E $28,000.

Green Gasoline

2008-01-11T09:39:00.000-06:00

The Detroit auto show is where automakers showcase their latest Big Ideas, and this year's show features some of the most advanced green technology to date.

But you won't see many hydrogen, electric or hybrid concept vehicles unveiled. Rather, you'll find green tech in the gasoline and diesel engines that will power most of our cars in the next decade.

"The internal combustion engine is not going away for a very long time," said Casey Selecman, an industry analyst at CSM Worldwide. Cars will become much cleaner and more fuel-efficient, he said, but "it's going to be an evolutionary change, not a revolutionary one."

It's a chaotic time for the industry as it moves toward a greener future without surrendering its past. Despite a worldwide push for vehicles that run on alternative fuels, the industry has invested too much in the combustion engine to abandon it. That's why the North American International Auto Show in Detroit Jan. 19-27 will see the unveiling of the 620-horsepower Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 and Kia's latest sport utility vehicle alongside the Saturn Vue Green two-mode hybrid and Toyota's A-BAT hybrid pickup concept.

Concept cars will provide glimpses of where automakers are headed. General Motors is touting hydrogen with the Cadillac Provoq. Chrysler's bringing the Dodge ZEO electric sports car. BMW will bring along the X6 Active Hybrid concept.

But the greenest stars may be the gasoline-burning Ford Explorer America and Audi R8 diesel concept vehicles. Both feature what several industry experts called the engines of the future, and they highlight the trend toward turbochargers, variable valve timing, direct fuel injection and clean diesel. Automakers see such technology as the fastest way to significantly improve fuel efficiency and emissions.

"None of this sounds green, but it's the dominant green technology we'll see alongside hybrids for the next 10 years," said Eric Noble, president of Car Lab, an auto industry consultancy.

The new Explorer, expected to see production in 2010, looks like just another SUV, but it redefines the genre. It is smaller and lighter than earlier Explorers, a trend automakers are adopting as consumers shun SUVs in favor of car-like "crossover utility vehicles," or CUVs.

But the biggest change is under the hood, where Ford installed its new EcoBoost four-cylinder turbocharged direct-injection engine. (Production versions will have an optional EcoBoost V6.) Ford says the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine produces 30 percent more power and up to 20 percent better fuel economy than the 4.0-liter V6 it will replace.

Ford plans to build 500,000 EcoBoost four- and six-cylinder engines a year within five years, and Noble says most of its competitors have a similar level of commitment. The 9-4x CUV that Saab will unveil in Detroit uses a similar engine with flex-fuel capacity.

"All the manufacturers are validating this technology, because you really do improve efficiency with turbos," he said. "They're not talking about it, because it's not sexy."

The Detroit auto show also will see the first rounds fired in the coming clean-diesel revolution. The BMW X5 xDrive35d and Mercedes-Benz GLK Freeside concept are among the diesels appearing in Detroit. But the one that will get the most attention will almost certainly be the 500-horsepower V-12 Audi R8 diesel.

Audi wants to build on the success of its R10 TDI LeMans racecar to start pushing diesel in a big way. The company plans to produce a diesel R8 if the car is well received in Detroit.

Ron Cogan, editor of Green Car Journal and GreenCar.com, said high-performance diesels like the R8, BMW 335d and Mitsubishi RA concept would go a long way toward dispelling the perception of diesels as loud, dirty and slow.

The diesel revolution of the 1970s "left a lasting impression that diesel is not good technology," he said. "They don't associate it with cars that will get your blood pumping. As we see high-performance diesels coming out in sports cars, in luxury sedans and affordable cars that do everything you need while being clean and getting 30 percent better fuel economy, they will catch on."

Critics will point to the debuts of vehicles like the Corvette ZR1 (one pundit called it "an old-school exercise in automotive pornography"), Ford's new F150 pickup or Hyundai's 350-horsepower V8 Genesis sedan and say the industry's talk of going green is just that -- talk.

Automotive trend watchers said that although things move slowly in an industry where it can take several years for an idea to reach the assembly line, change is coming, and soon.

"This is not PR," said Aaron Bragman, an analyst with Global Insight. "These are actual programs. They're throwing a lot of money at this. They know they have to meet these regulations. Times are changing. People want to see something different, and we're starting to see those cars rolling out."

E85 Falls Short

2007-12-29T21:42:00.000-06:00

We already know that ethanol is only part of the answer to the biofuel question.
BP, a major distributor of ethanol fuel products, is investing $500 million for research into the next generation of biofuels. BP has set up laboratories (The Energy Bio-Sciences Institute) at the University of California at Berkeley, and the University of Illinois.

Selling more ethanol than anybody, BP it doesn't see ethanol as the answer to the alternative fuel question, and they don’t have any plans to make ethanol. At the same time, an increase in the number of ethanol plants in Iowa during the past six years has led to increased air, water and soil pollution, according to the Des Moines Register, June 2007.

Due to several factors, not limited to lower horsepower, and lower mileage, E85 has been slow to catch on among flex fuel vehicle drivers. The so-called cost benefits of ethanol, are based on government subsidies which do more for the farm lobby than the consumer.

The price of corn in July 2007 was at $4.19 a bushel, having increased more than 80 percent in the previous year. In February 2007, corn hit its highest price point in more than a decade at just over $4.50 a bushel.

It's not just corn that's more expensive, higher corn prices have been blamed for driving up food prices at the local grocery store. According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, food prices have risen nearly 4 percent in 2007 when compared to 2006.

Geothermal Electricity Production at California Geysers Facility

2007-12-15T15:26:00.000-06:00

In October 2005, Los Angeles based US Renewables Group (“USRG”), acquired a controlling interest in the Bottle Rock Power Corporation. USRG develops, and operates renewable energy and clean fuel projects. Bottle Rock Power Corporation, a California company was purchased in order to control the 55 megawatt geothermal power station in the Geysers in Lake County, California. The plan was to have the station produce approximately 200,000 megawatt hours per year of base load renewable power within about 12 months. Achieving this goal would produce enough energy on average to supply electricity to about 25,000 California homes.
The Bottle Rock Power acquisition builds on USRG's growing renewable energy assets including negotiations for biomass power and ethanol assets, and two landfill methane facilities in California. In order to fund the acquisition and operation of renewable energy assets, USRG closed $80 million in financing as part of its plan to raise a total of $250 million USD.
The Bottle Rock Power Plant is located on the Francisco Lease, a 350 acre area on High Valley Road near the town of Cobb in Lake County, California. The 55-MegaWatt Geothermal Power Plant was certified by the Energy Commission certified in 1980, and the power plant began producing electricity for the State Water Project in early 1985.
In November 1990, DWR (California Department of Water Resources) suspended operation of the Bottle Rock project due to a drop in production from the Geysers and the plant was placed into stand-by status. At the time, ample power capacity in California was available, and the requirements to restore the facility to full production could not be economically justified.
The DWR subsequently sold the power station to Bottle Rock Power in 2001.

Bittersweet Biodiesel Surge

2007-12-09T20:55:00.000-06:00

National Biodiesel Surge Creates Bittersweet Co-product with Glycerol

by Raphael Shay

A current surge of interest in biofuels is set to yield 1.37 Billion gallons within the next 18 months, according to the National Biodiesel Board. Currently 1.85 billion gallons of biodiesel are made in the US every year, in addition to a sizable amount of homemade biodiesel. This substantial increase in production has resulted in an overabundance of co-products, specifically glycerol. 'iCAST' is currently researching and discovering solutions to this problem.
Assuming the crude glycerin is 80% pure glycerin, Brett Hess from the University of Wyoming thinks that crude glycerol should sell at 89% of the price of cornstarch. This would give it a price of 1 to 2 cents per pound or 10 times current market value.

Crude glycerol is not a valuable product and currently sells for about 1 to 2 cents per gallon. For every 100 pounds of biodiesel produced, 10 pounds of glycerol is also created. Although it is possible to refine crude glycerin into a marketable product, it is a process that is beyond the reach of most small-scale producers due to the large investment in technology necessary for the refining process.

Finding a large-scale use for crude glycerin would help lighten the load of growing supplies and give the biodiesel industry more revenue. Not only is it essential to find economically viable refining process, it is also important for the environment.

CAST, the International Center for Appropriate and Sustainable Technology, is helping farmers grow their own fuel. Part of this work has brought the company to research the uses and markets for biodiesel co-products.

Traditionally, glycerin has been used to produce nitro-glycerin and soap. But crude glycerin can also be burnt, composted or fed to ruminants. Research on turning glycerin into an alternative to antifreeze is also within grasp.

Burning glycerin for heat and power can render positive effects, however, temperature is a significant concern. Burning glycerin at temperatures between 200 and 300°C (392-572°F) emits toxic acrolein fumes so temperatures beyond 1,000°C (1832°F) are necessary.

As a sugar, glycerin can be a considerable addition to compost. This is a much simpler option. However, it is important to make sure the glycerin does not cut out oxygen and negatively affect pH, which harms the composting bacteria. Glycerin is also a liquid and therefore hard to contain. Since it can be harmful to ground and surface water, it is vital to prevent leakage.

In Northern Wyoming a glycerin storage tank has been connected to a farms irrigation system. Before crops emerge, a valve is opened to water down the glycerin and spread it onto the fields.

A third option is to feed the crude glycerin to ruminants. In actuality, there are no regulations that affect the use of glycerol as a feed additive. The overall consensus is that crude glycerol can comprise up to 15 percent of a ruminant animals diet and 15 percent of pelleted feed mix. Dairy cows are the exception where a study found the limit to be 1 to 5% with an improvement in energy balance when glycerol comprised 2% of their diet.

Assuming the crude glycerin is 80% pure glycerin, Brett Hess from the University of Wyoming thinks that crude glycerol should sell at 89% of the price of cornstarch. This would give it a price of 1 to 2 cents per pound or 10 times current market value. However in most cases, crude glycerin is 50 to 60% pure and thus should be discounted 33%.

The two other product options for glycerin, making hydrogen or propylene glycol, are still in the research phases. Since the process is complicated, when and if it becomes technologically mature, it will likely be done in centralized plants. This basically means small biodiesel producers will probably only need to invest in storage and sell their glycerin much like a lot of restaurants are selling their waste oil.

The other upcoming use for glycerin is propylene glycol. It can be used as a non-toxic anti-freeze, coolant, or deicer. Although petroleum based ethylene glycol is currently much cheaper, it remains a non-renewable resource that is highly toxic and as such is bound to lose popularity.

Propylene glycol is created by reacting glycerin with copper chromate, which sells for roughly fifty cents/gram. Full costs are currently unknown since this process is being perfected, which imperative given the current 47% efficiency in conversion.

Raphael Shay has worked on biodiesel in Canada, Denmark and the United-States. He is now the Outreach Coordinator at iCAST, where he bridges iCAST's projects with the people who need them most. iCAST is a Colorado based organization that facilitates renewable energy and energy efficiency projects that lead to community development.

The price of oil rising again...

2007-10-28T23:16:00.000-05:00

In 2004, China's electricity grid was near the breaking point and was suffering random blackouts, so they began to start using diesel power generators. The additional fuel demand ( some 15% ) caught the world market unaware. Even though oil prices were already on the rise, the additional demand helped to speed it along.

The next 3 years would see a 300% increase in the cost of crude oil and this past summer we witnessed a bitter taste for the increase in cost for a gallon of gas.
It's sounds funny to say it but, when gas dropped even a nickel per gallon, it seemed to create a sense of relief - never mind that fact that it was / is still very expensive to fill up your tank.

The world simply has to find a less expensive resource for fuel, and alternative energy is the way to go. We must find and improve upon renewable energy resources and, we have to do it now. OPEC has a tight grip on crude oil and you can bet that they will not give up that control without a fight!

Crude oil has hit a new high at over $91 a barrel and who knows how much higher it could rise. I am tired of the ever increasing cost of a gallon of gas but, I can only do so much by myself; everyone has to get involved and right away, not tomorrow, not next week or next month, right now.

It is very unlikely that any one source for alternative fuel ( at this point ) will be able to replace our thirst for fossil fuel, it will take several different types of renewable energy sources. Electric cars, hydrogen fuel cells, propane, ethanol, solar powered, geothermal power to make electricity and other resources will have to be integrated into our daily lives.

Zero Emission, No Noise Cars

2007-09-05T10:26:00.000-05:00

Is it possible to achieve dharma at 25 mph?

The Zenn (which stands for Zero Emission, No Noise), available since February from Feel Good Cars subsidiary Zenn Motor, can be purchased from 33 dealerships throughout 20 U.S. states.

Surprised that you've never heard of the two-"n" Zenn? That may be because the company doesn't plan to have an official car-promoting launch until September 9, 2007.

Priced between $12,750 and $16,000, depending on options selected, the car offers a driving range of up to 35 miles per charge. And while the car can theoretically go faster, it tops out at 25 mph, in keeping with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and Regulations for this type of car.

The earth-friendly future is here with ZENN, the zero-emission, no-noise fully-featured electric vehicle. In addition to requiring no gasoline, the ZENN distinguishes itself with comfort, convenience and utility no other Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) can match. The ZENN can be recharged anywhere by simply plugging it into a standard electrical outlet and it can be ready to go in as little as four hours! At only pennies per mile to operate, and with minimal maintenance requirements, the ZENN is the ideal choice for consumers and businesses alike.

The 1200lb car has just over 13 cubic feet of storage space but has a rather limited range of about 35 miles, so don't plan on taking this car on any road trips.
Ironically, while the Zenn was developed by a publicly traded company based in Canada, it has not yet been approved for street-legal driving in Canadian provinces. But it's among one of the electric cars you can buy right now in the United States.

Of course, that's not the most interesting thing about this company.

In April 2007, Zenn Motor paid about $2.5 million for a 3.8 percent share in EEstor, a company that claims to be developing a revolutionary technology that will offer a much longer charge range than those of prevalent chemical batteries. It remains to be seen whether future versions of the Zenn will have this "super battery."

While Zenn cars may have a special power source from EEStor, its current three-door hatchback model offers a battery that can become 80 percent recharged in 4 hours, or fully recharged in 8 hours, from any standard 120-volt outlet.

And for our left-loving neighbors in the United Kingdom, Japan and elsewhere, Zenn Motor posts in its specs that it is also offering a right-side drive option.

Indianapolis Race Series Switches from Methanol to Ethanol

2007-08-25T19:49:00.000-05:00

May 2007
The Indianapolis 500 launches a new era in racing - All IndyCars now run 100 percent Ethanol Racing Fuel having starting the switch-over from Methanol 100 in 2005.
Indy 500 begins running E100 at 91st annual race.
The pure ethanol racing fuel will be produced by a Renova Energy biodiesel refinery in Wyoming.
The 2006 season will not be the first time ethanol fuel has powered a car in the famed Indianapolis 500 series race. The 11th Indianapolis 500, held in 1927, featured a car driven by Leon Duray which was fueled by ethyl (grain) alcohol.

Frequently asked questions about Ethanol

2007-08-19T14:56:00.000-05:00

What is Ethanol?

Q: Does ethanol clog fuel filters?

A: In early test trials, ethanol was put into older vehicles with fuel systems that had become varnished during normal use with gasoline. Varnish generally only accumulates in fuel systems or containers which see little or no use. Ethanol removes this varnish from the tanks, fuel lines, and carburetors which is then captured by the fuel filter. Once the fuel system was clean and the filter replaced, this issue was resolved. Today’s gasolines contain detergents which help keep fuel systems cleaner and, in most cases, when ethanol fuel is added to a clean fuel system, there is little (if any) varnish in the fuel system and filters are less likely to become clogged.

Q: Is the ethanol myth true that ethanol is bad for certain gasoline fuel system components, fuel pumps and carburetors?

A: Early versions of some elastomers (rubber-like parts) and metal fuel system components were subject to deterioration over time; manufacturers quickly began to change these fuel system components to be compatible with ethanol fuel. From time to time, this myth enjoys circulation, but it is not true. Today, all vehicle manufacturers, domestic and foreign, approve* the use of ethanol fuels.

Q: Does the use of ethanol-blended fuel cause a decrease in fuel mileage?

A: There are many variables that contribute to fuel mileage, such as the season, the weather, and traffic conditions, that only an average miles per gallon can be determined. Current information derived from controlled environmental testing suggests that fuel injected vehicles may experience a decrease in mileage by approximately 2%. A carbureted vehicle that averages 30 MPG on the highway might average 29.4 MPG using ethanol-blended fuel; a small price to pay for a cleaner environment.

Q: Will ethanol-blended fuel attract moisture to my fuel system?

A: All of today’s automotive fuel systems are closed systems and are less prone to attracting moisture. Ethanol absorbs moisture that is in a fuel system and carries it out in suspension as it is consumed. The most likely, and quite rare, cause for water in gasoline today would be from condensation in service station storage tanks. If the concentration of water in ethanol becomes excessive, it will separate and fall to the bottom of the fuel tank. When ethanol fuel is used in winter months, a fuel de-icer is not required.

More Frequently asked questions about Ethanol

A History of Ethanol

2007-08-19T14:39:00.000-05:00

Ethanol Pre-History

Ethanol has been used by humans since prehistory as the intoxicating ingredient in alcoholic beverages. Dried residues on 9000-year-old pottery found in northern China imply the use of alcoholic beverages even among Neolithic peoples. Its isolation as a relatively pure compound was first achieved by Islamic alchemists who developed the art of distillation during the Abbasid caliphate, the most notable of whom was Al-Razi. The writings attributed to Jabir Ibn Hayyan (Geber) (721-815) mention the flammable vapors of boiled wine. Al-Kindī (801-873) unambiguously described the distillation of wine. Distillation of ethanol from water yields a product that is at most 96% ethanol, because ethanol forms an azeotrope with water. Absolute ethanol was first obtained in 1796 by Johann Tobias Lowitz, by filtering distilled ethanol through charcoal.

Antoine Lavoisier described ethanol as a compound of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, and in 1808, Nicolas-Théodore de Saussure determined ethanol's chemical formula. In 1858, Archibald Scott Couper published a structural formula for ethanol: this places ethanol among the first chemical compounds to have their chemical structures determined.

Ethanol was first prepared synthetically in 1826, through the independent efforts of Henry Hennel in Britain and S.G. Sérullas in France. Michael Faraday prepared ethanol by the acid-catalysed hydration of ethylene in 1828, in a process similar to that used for industrial ethanol synthesis today.

In Promotion of Ethanol

2007-08-19T14:22:00.000-05:00

Also known as ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol made from corn, Ethanol is a flammable and colorless chemical compound, which can also be used as a biodegradable fuel additive. The renewable alternative fuel is an alcohol fuel mixture of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, by volume; Ethanol derived from crops (bioethanol) is a biofuel. E85 is an alternative fuel blend made up of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, hence the name “E85”. E85 is a clean-burning, high-octane fuel, and a versatile solvent which mixes easily with water and most organic liquids. Most new cars sold in Brazil, and many newer domestic vehicles are flexible-fuel vehicles that can run on ethanol, gasoline, or any mixture of the two.

In the United States, current ethanol / gasoline blends are at a mere 10% ethanol, commonly known as "gasohol" and is widely sold throughout the U.S. Midwest, which contains the nation's chief corn-growing centers.

Ethanol E85 Pumps The largest single use of ethanol is as a motor fuel and fuel additive with the largest national fuel ethanol industries in Brazil and the United States. The Brazilian ethanol industry is based on sugarcane; as of 2004, Brazil produces 14 billion liters annually, enough to replace about 40% of its gasoline demand.

The United States fuel ethanol industry is based largely on corn. As of 2005, its capacity is 15 billion liters annually, although the Energy Policy Act of 2005 requires U.S. fuel ethanol production to increase to 7.5 billion gallons (28 billion liters) by 2012.

In 2005, the Indy Racing League announced its cars will run on a 10% ethanol - 90% methanol blend fuel, and starting in 2007, the indy cars will race on 100% ethanol.