Biofuels
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Tech has lagged for light-duty engines designed to use gaseous fuels, like natural gas, propane, and biogas; an EU project has aimed to address that.
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Algae blooms could be a boon for eco-diesel under DOE-funded project
Algae-based biodiesel has been hyped in the past as a renewable fuel that can be produced here in the U.S., lowering greenhouse-gas emissions without displacing food crops or taxing water supplies. And yet it still hasn’t arrived in any significant way. There’s no single factor to blame...
Bengt Halvorson -
What topic should we have covered less in 2017? Twitter poll results
Over the nine years this site has published daily news about green cars, the focus of our coverage has shifted significantly. In February 2009, when we started daily coverage, our most popular topics were hybrid cars and the Toyota Prius. With Prius sales in 2017 less than half what they were just...
John Voelcker -
What topic should we have covered less in 2017? Take our Twitter poll
No single definition exists for the idea of "green car," and very few shoppers set out to go buy a green car. Instead, car buyers look for vehicles that meet their needs—with fuel economy or energy efficiency somewhere in that list of needs, whether higher or lower. Certainly the definition...
John Voelcker -
Proposed ethanol cuts bring EPA up against Iowa's powerful politician
Following years of debate, the EPA said earlier this month it will study the possibilities of cutting the amount of ethanol in the United States' gasoline supply. Since 2007, the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) has required growing amounts of ethanol to be blended into U.S. fuel supplies, with...
Sean Szymkowski -
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 -
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 reduce the damage they impose on the environment. That leads to biofuels, and an amusing development from Scotland called biobutanol, though the public may know its ingredients by a different name: whiskey. DON'T MISS: Alt-fuel history: Ford Model T wasn't designed for multiple fuels, really Celtic...
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3 billion cars by 2050 would need biofuels to offset climate impact: projection
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...
Stephen Edelstein -
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 -
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 -
GM adds B20 biodiesel capability to Chevy, GMC diesel trucks, cars
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...
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 -
When the world at large thinks of fuel-cell vehicles—to the extent it does, at least today—they are associated with hydrogen as the fuel to power them. But a fuel cell, more broadly speaking, is any device that produces electricity from a variety of input fuels or energy carriers. This morning, at a briefing in Japan, Nissan said it planned to develop vehicles using fuel cells powered by ethanol rather than hydrogen. DON'T MISS: Mercedes fuel-cell GLC plugs in like an electric car: what does that imply? And, Nissan said, it will commercialize its technology by 2020, which is when...
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Renewable diesel: 90 percent lower carbon emissions than regular diesel, Neste claims
Neste claims the lifecycle carbon emissions of its renewable diesel are significantly lower than those of regular diesel.
Stephen Edelstein -
As VW pledges more electric cars, it supports biofuels as alternative
Are there many different ways to reduce the carbon associated with road vehicles? Or are electric vehicles the best and only viable way to proceed? That's the debate at the heart of two different reports on Volkswagen's recent actions in Europe this week. DON'T MISS: VW settlement with EPA...
John Voelcker -
Fiat Chrysler is last Detroit maker to convert cars to use E15
All Detroit automakers now say their cars can run on E15 ethanol.
Stephen Edelstein -
Sugarcane, modified to produce oil, promises better biodiesel
University of Illinois researchers claim a modified sugarcane plant can produce large amounts of biodiesel.
Stephen Edelstein -
Why Isn't The 2016 Chevy Volt A Flex-Fuel Plug-In Hybrid That Can Use E85 Ethanol?
The 2016 Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid has received numerous accolades, including this site's Best Car To Buy 2016 Award. It's better-looking, quicker, quieter, and has a significantly longer all-electric range of 53 miles. It is not, however, certified to use E85, the fuel blend containing 85...
John Voelcker -
The U.S. Navy is moving ahead with plans to to fuel ships with biodiesel.
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Final 2016 Ethanol Rule: Fuel Blenders, Biofuels Interests Unhappy With EPA Numbers
The final EPA 2016 ethanol rule bothers both the biofuel and oil industries.
Stephen Edelstein -
Researchers Modify Oilseed To Lower Viscosity For Use As Biodiesel Fuel
Heading into another U.S. presidential election year, getting more biofuels into the U.S. gasoline supply continues to pose both political and logistical hurdles. But researchers, regulators, and entrepeneurs increasingly see promise in synthetic diesel created from a variety of non-fossil fuel...
John Voelcker -
Senate Group Pushes EPA To Add More Biodiesel In Renewal Fuel Standard
A bipartisan group of 36 Senators wants the EPA to require more biodiesel to be mixed into the fuel supply.
Stephen Edelstein -
New West Coast Oil Refinery Proposed To Meet Clean-Fuel Demand
A new refinery would satisfy demand for biofuels, but also increase crude-oil production.
Stephen Edelstein -
UPDATE: Single Tank Of Renewable Diesel Fuel Takes Car Cross-Country at 67 MPG
Neste sends a car across the U.S. with just one tank of its renewable diesel.
Stephen Edelstein