Flex Fuel Vehicles Auto Industry Ford, Chevrolet, Honda, Toyota, and Nissan

Because transportation is such a large contributor to global warming, both globally and in the United States, climate and energy experts say finding clean alternatives to gasoline is also key to replacing fossil fuels and slowing global warming. Just as there is debate and competing research about which type of alternative transportation fuel should be developed to produce electricity, however, there is also competition among possible new transportation fuels. So far, in the United States, significant funding has been put into two transportation technologies—ethanol and hydrogen fuel cells. Many energy commentators say cars powered by electric batteries are the technology closest to mass production capability, however. (more…)

Alternative Transportation Fuels And Alternative Fuel Vehicles

Alternative Fuel Vehicles
At present, in the United States and worldwide, motor vehicles are fueled almost exclusively by petroleum based gasoline (or reformulated gasoline) and diesel fuels. Since the first oil price shock in 1973, efforts have been made to seek alternative fuels to displace gasoline and diesel fuels and achieve energy and environmental benefits. Some of the alternative fuels that have been researched and used are liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), methanol (MeOH), dimethyl ether (DME), Fischer– Tropsch diesel (FTD), hydrogen (H 2 ), ethanol (EtOH), biodiesel, and electricity. Production processes associated with gasoline, diesel, and each of these alternative fuels differ. (more…)

New Tax Credits For Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV)

hybrid car tax
Under both former President Bush and new President Obama, the U.S. government has vowed to reduce reliance on imported oil. The nation is encouraging development of a transportation fleet that uses biofuels, fuel cell vehicles and hybrid electric technologies.

Us Government Program To Reduce Reliance On Imported Oil

To that end, the federal government, in late 2008, put in place new incentives – and extended others – designed to create a strong up-tick in sales of unconventional vehicles. As a result, the U.S. Energy Information Administration anticipates that hybrid cars will grow from 2% of new light-duty vehicles sold in 2007 to 38% by 2030. (more…)

Oil and Gas Exploration, Production, and Processing

Oil Gas Exploration
Most major oil and gas firms engage in both upstream (i.e., hydrocarbon exploration and production) and downstream (i.e., hydrocarbon refining and marketing) businesses as well as related activities such as chemicals, and their R&D activities serve the needs of these businesses. During the past decade or so, the R&D spending of oil and gas firms has generally declined. According to a DOE survey, R&D spending by major energy producers within the United States declined from $3.05 billion in 1994 to $1.33 billion in 2000. Although not true of all producers internationally, the broad global trend over the past decade or so seems to be along similar lines. (more…)

Fuel Taxes in Europe to Reduce Fuel Consumption

Fuel Taxes in Europe
Analysis of future light-duty transportation energy use require estimates of the impact of fuel prices on travel and fleet fuel economy, estimates of the fuel price elasticity of travel, fuel economy, and fuel consumption are ubiquitous in the literature. However, there is substantial disagreement about the magnitude of these elasticities because travel volumes, fuel economy, and fuel consumption are dependent on several variables other than fuel price and because fuel prices have tended to be volatile during the past few decades, thereby complicating attempts to estimate long-run elasticities. Thus, the magnitude of the effect of changes in fuel taxes in US on fleet fuel economy and on travel volumes and fuel consumption is also subject to considerable disagreement. (more…)

Sulfur Gasoline as Source of Automotive Emissions

In recent years, there has been a greater understanding of the role of automotive emissions as environmental pollutants. Sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide degrade the earth’s atmosphere and are health hazards. Carbon dioxide adds to the atmospheric buildup of greenhouse gases and in turn accelerates the process of global warming. (more…)

Energy Consumption in the United States

energy consumption US
The gradual change in the energy consumption pattern of the United States from 1860 to 1990. In the mid-1800s, biomass, principally woody biomass, supplied over 90% of U.S. energy and fuel needs, after which energy biomass consumption began to decrease as fossil fuels became the preferred energy resources. For many years, a safe illuminant had been sought as a less expensive substitute for whale oils. (more…)

Reformulated Gasoline Fuel and MTB

reformulated gasoline fuel
Prior to the Clean Air Act of 1990, environmental issues regulations were aimed at reducing emissions as they left the exhaust system. The catalytic converter has been the primary means of attacking air pollution in this way. After 1990, regulations for the first time undertook to alter the composition of the fuel itself. Reformulated gasoline applies to gasoline that is sold in the nine metropolitan areas designated by the EPA with the highest level of ozone in air pollution problems. About 48 million people reside in areas where ozone concentrations exceed federal standards. (more…)

Gasoline Additive: Fuel Efficiency and Reduce Automotive Emissions

gasoline additive
The development and blending of gasoline additives and petroleum additivies are undertaken for the most part by the petroleum refining industry. Additives are essential to the economic well-being of the industry because they tend to boost sales for gasoline fuel and diesel fuel. In most cases, gasoline additives do not differ in price by more than three to four cents a gallon. The recently developed additives do not necessarily sacrifice fuel efficiency and fuel savings for higher octane numbers. They are multifunctional. In addition to boosting octane ratings they may also clean the engine, which, in turn, leads to greater fuel efficiency. (more…)

Reducing the Use of Gasoline | Corporate Average Fuel Economy

gasoline consumption

Whatever the actual motivation, American policymakers perceived a need after 1973 to restrict automobile and light truck consumption of gasoline. How The Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 imposed Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards on all auto and light truck manufacturers who sold vehicles in the Unite d States. The weighted average of miles per gallon (MPG) for each manufacturer’s car sales was required to be at least 18 MPG by 1978 and 27.5 MPG by 1985. Manufacturer s that failed to meet this standard were to be fined $50 per vehicle sold for each gallon (of MPG rating) by which they failed. (more…)

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