Alt Fuels
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Although a car powered solely by solar power is far from reality, the 30th anniversary of the World Solar Challenge showcased just how far the technology has come. World Solar Challenge kicked off its celebrations with this year's iteration of the solar-powered car race in Darwin, Australia, on Sunday. From the starting point, the teams will travel 1,880 miles south to Adelaide, with the sun as their only source of propulsion. DON'T MISS: 11 things you need to know about Formula E electric-car racing In total, 42 solar-powered cars will take part in the race this year, which represents the...
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EPA to study cutting amount of ethanol in U.S. gasoline
Since 2007, the Renewable Fuel Standard has required increasing levels of ethanol in gasoline blends sold in the U.S. Most fuel stations across the United States no longer offer pure gasoline, with E10—a blend of 10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline—prevailing. After years of...
Sean Szymkowski -
Audi A5 Sportback g-tron: first drive of natural-gas luxury sport sedan
Audi’s vision of future mobility primarily centers around an array of long-range electric cars scheduled to debut in the coming years under the "e-tron" badge. These are intended to be Tesla killers, as they’re often called in Germany. But there’s another kind of tron with a...
Green Car Reports -
California's solar energy grid survived the eclipse without incident
Solar power provides 10 percent of California's energy supply, which meant electric-grid operators had to be prepared for potentially disastrous effects during Monday's solar eclipse. To the surprise of many, there were no serious repercussions as the moon blocked a significant source of energy for...
Sean Szymkowski -
RIP natural-gas cars, doomed by cheap gas and electric cars
Natural gas vehicles were first promoted starting in about 2000 as a way to reduce reliance on imported oil and cut tailpipe emissions. Their promise appeared to grow near the height of the global financial crisis, when gas prices hovered around $4 per gallon across much of the United States. The...
Sean Szymkowski -
Scotland fuels car with biobutanol derived from whiskey production
Electric cars may receive most of the attention within the realm of alternative propulsion methods, but liquid hydrocarbon fuels will be with us for many decades to come. The challenge then becomes how to reduce the carbon footprint of extracting, transporting, refining, and burning those fuels to...
Sean Szymkowski -
President Donald Trump has announced his intention to pull the United States from the Paris Climate Pact, but private companies and other entities are taking on the challenge of clean energy themselves. Goldwind Americas, a subsidiary of a leading Chinese wind-turbine manufacturer, continues to expand in the United States and it has eyed Wyoming as a site for expansion. That state, however, is not very friendly to wind farms; it has even taken to taxing wind-energy generation in an effort to protect its coal miners. DON'T MISS: More solar energy was added in 2016 than natural gas or wind But...
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Ethanol wasn't killed by Prohibition at Rockefeller's request: another alt-fuel myth busted
For almost a century, many people have blamed oil magnate John D. Rockefeller for the demise of ethanol as a viable fuel for internal-combustion engines. He fought its use, the theory goes, to eliminate competition for the gasoline derived from his Standard Oil business—whose descendant...
Sean Szymkowski -
Alt-fuel history: Ford Model T wasn't designed for multiple fuels, really
The myth surrounding the car that's credited with putting America on wheels simply isn't true: the Ford Model T was never meant to run fuels other than gasoline. The myth has circulated throughout the car's history, most recently thanks to the internet. It has mostly taken the form of a legend in...
Sean Szymkowski -
E15 gasoline faces stronger headwinds as more states move to ban it
While political control in Washington has changed, the debate over a mandate to blend specific volumes of ethanol into the U.S. fuel supply has not. Since its passage in 2007 as part of the Energy Independence and Security Act, the ethanol-mandating Renewable Fuel Standard has attracted...
Stephen Edelstein -
UPS to spend $90 million more on natural-gas vehicles, fueling stations
Natural gas has not proven popular for vehicles bought by individual consumers, but some fleet operators continue to find it an attractive alternative to gasoline and diesel. That's because the lack of public fueling infrastructure proves a major drawback for natural-gas passenger cars, but fleets...
Stephen Edelstein -
Audi A5 is third model to run on natural gas, for Europe only
New natural-gas passenger cars from major carmakers have disappeared from the U.S. Natural-gas options are available for large pickup trucks and vans but only exist for cars through aftermarket conversions offered by specialty firms. In Europe, though, the German luxury maker Audi remains committed...
Stephen Edelstein -
Even with aggressive promotion of battery-electric or hydrogen fuel-cell cars, hundreds of millions of internal-combustion vehicles will remain on the world's roads for decades to come. But estimates of exactly how many internal-combustion cars will be displaced by alternatives in a given period vary wildly. One alternative-fuels lobbying group thinks that even in 2050, the number of zero-emission vehicles won't be high enough to produce meaningful reduction of carbon emissions. DON'T MISS: Electric-car market share in 2020: estimates vary widely The Fuel Freedom Foundation predicts that...
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Biofuel, fossil-fuel lobbyists join to fight electric-car incentives
As the old saying goes: the enemy of my enemy is my friend. The biofuel and fossil-fuel lobbies have argued in the past over the blending of biofuels with the general fuel supply. But now the two groups have found something they can agree on. DON'T MISS: Sierra Club to sue EPA over failure to...
Stephen Edelstein -
Sierra Club to sue EPA over failure to report on ethanol
The confirmation of Scott Pruitt as Environmental Protection Agency administrator was expected to rankle environmental groups. Pruitt is a climate-science denier who, in his previous position as Oklahoma attorney general, sued the agency he is now charged with many multiple times over its efforts...
Stephen Edelstein -
Why liquid hydrogen may make sense for airplanes, replacing jet fuel
If you want to find a major source of transportation-related emissions, just look up. Aviation currently accounts for around 2 percent of global carbon emissions, and many analysts believe its share could triple by the middle of the century if projected growth in air travel occurs. But finding...
Stephen Edelstein -
Chevy Cruze Diesel: quieter, more fuel-efficient, B20-capable
Automakers today find themselves in something of an unenviable position. Strict corporate average fuel economy rules continue to ratchet up, while President Trump may—or may not—attempt to change those rules. Until the uncertainty resolves, however, automakers have to stick with their...
Brandon Turkus -
The original biofuel for motor vehicles: wood (and why we don't use it today)
When it comes to alternative fuels, the discussion usually centers around compressed natural gas, or biofuels like ethanol or biodiesel. But before the concept of low-carbon or carbon-neutral fuels even existed, a few early makers and desperate drivers tried something completely different. They...
Stephen Edelstein -
When it comes to reducing emissions, fleet operators generally have fewer options than individual buyers of passenger cars. There are fewer zero-emission vehicle options for vehicles that see commercial use, although those vehicles often cover more miles every year than the average passenger car. But fleet buyers have embraced alternative carbon-based fuels to some degree, including biodiesel. DON'T MISS: EU cleaner-car proposals slammed for too few electric cars, too much biodiesel (Dec 2016) Used in common language, the word "biodiesel" can refer to many different fuels, including those...
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Trump supported ethanol, but his team may not; is oil the reason?
Several members of Trump's team are against ethanol, advisor Carl Icahn said in a recent interview.
Stephen Edelstein -
EU cleaner-car proposals slammed for too few electric cars, too much biodiesel
The auto industry and advocacy group Transport & Environment both criticized a new EU plan.
Stephen Edelstein -
Is ethanol-free gasoline heading for the end of the road?
The EPA expects demand for ethanol-free gasoline to gradually dissipate.
Stephen Edelstein -
EPA boosts required 2017 ethanol volume above expected level
The EPA increased the amount of ethanol to be blended with gasoline for 2017.
Stephen Edelstein -
Bill to cap ethanol in U.S. fuel supply gains momentum
A House bill aims to cap the amount of ethanol blended with the U.S. fuel supply.
Stephen Edelstein