Cars On Alcohol, Part 3: Flex Fuel Vehicles Emerge

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In 1992, methanol emerged as one of the bright stars in the unfolding universe of alternative fuels. The move toward alcohol fuels, led primarily by petroleum-based methanol but with increasing talk of corn-based ethanol as well, was being spearheaded by automakers, regulators, politicians, and consumers alike. Importantly, it wasn't all talk. Methanol- and ethanol-capable vehicles were also emerging, along with a limited number of gas stations that also offered methanol fuel. The reports below are reprinted from early issues of Green Car Journal just as they ran back then, allowing our viewers to get a sense of how the nascent alcohol fuel field was playing out.

FORD TAURUS FFV GEARING UP
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED APRIL 1992 Green Car Journal editors had the opportunity to test drive a developmental 1993 Ford Taurus FFV recently. Road time found the Taurus running smoothly on M85 without hesitation, its 3.0-liter V-6 providing good power and pulling well through the powerband. While horsepower testing is not part of the regimen, methanol’s higher octane does net mild power gains that should measure in about 12 to 14 hp above the 140 hp rating of the gasoline V-6 variant. The motor is engineered to run on any mixture of gasoline or M85 (85% methanol/15% gasoline) from the same tank.

Modifications in the FFV model include a larger 20 gallon fuel tank, a necessity due to methanol’s more moderate energy density and limited range. Other additions: A fuel sensor to detect the methanol/gasoline mixture being burned, an engine computer to adjust injection and ignition, methanol-resistant fuel system, modified injectors for increased fuel flow, and a methanol percentage gauge.

Unlike some fleet-targeted FFVs that are available with few options or trim levels, the Taurus FFV is intended to be sold without restrictions other than engine. Driver/passenger air bags, anti-lock braking, and an array of standard Taurus options are offered. These FFVs will be available for ordering at the beginning of the 1993 model year.

As an aside, Ford is gradually phasing out ozone-depleting CFC refrigerant from its air conditioning systems, beginning with the Taurus. But since the initial Taurus examples receiving this change are ones destined for Texas, and the current crop of 2500 flexible-fuel variants are primarily for California, FFV models will probably not be CFC-free until the following year.

INDUSTRY FALLOUT
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED APRIL 1992 The recently-released Auto/Oil Study, a product of the joint research program made up of 14 oil companies and Detroit’s Big 3 automakers, has been blasted by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). CARB claims the study draws incorrect conclusions using figures from outdated gasolines and obsolete emissions equipment technology. Some of the study’s conclusions: Reformulated gasoline will burn almost as cleanly as methanol; methanol/gasoline blends will create higher levels of smog; and methanol will cost 12 cents per gallon more than gasoline when it meets widespread use.

CARB officials dispute that reformulated gasoline will be as clean as methanol. The flaw in the higher emissions claim is a CARB study indicating methanol emissions to be less reactive than gasoline emissions, so a methanol vehicle will actually produce half as much smog. Also, CARB cites that methanol will probably cost the same as reformulated gasoline meeting the state’s future Phase 2 standards.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED MAY 1992 Chevron, which has provided 14 methanol M85 pumps at retail outlets in California, has notified the California Energy Commission (CEC) it will not fulfill its agreement to install a total of 25 pumps in the state. The oil company has cited concern about low methanol demand, and used the disputed Auto/Oil Industry Study to further its justification for the cancellation. This study finds reformulated gasoline as a fuel of choice over methanol.

CEC Chairman Charles R. Imbrecht has taken issue with Chevron’s decision, objecting to its use of the Auto/Oil Study. “Both the California Air Resources Board and the Energy Commission questioned the technical analysis of the study,” Imbrecht says, “because it uses old vehicles for the tailpipe emissions analysis, unusually high feedstock costs for natural gas, and biased comparisons for justifying reformulated gasoline over any other clean, alternative fuel.” Imbrecht also points out that with 1,000 flexible-fuel vehicles already on the road, an additional 1,172 Chevrolet Luminas arriving this month, nearly 200 Ford Econoline vans, and more than 3,000 Chrysler and Ford FFVs in showrooms this September, “Chevron’s concern about the current and future lack of methanol use is overly pessimistic. Air quality is everyone’s concern, and reformulated gasoline only offers a partial solution.”

EARLY INTEREST IN ETHANOL
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JULY 1992 A new agreement signed by the U.S. Department of Energy with Amoco Oil Company marks the first time involvement by a major fuel supplier with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) pioneering work in converting cellulose from trees, grasses, and even yard and paper waste to ethanol. Amoco will work with NREL to assess the economic and engineering feasibility of converting a particular feedstock.

The process, which uses enzymes to break down cellulose into sugars that can be converted into ethanol, will be demonstrated at a pilot-scale facility to be constructed at NREL in 1993. After a more definitive process design, the partners intend to advance to a commercial-scale demonstration facility to be provided by the oil company. The NREL goal is to produce ethanol for 67 cents-per-gallon by the end of the decade, roughly the equivalent of $1-per-gallon gasoline. Amoco has committed $25 million to the effort, while NREL is providing $4 million.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 1992 Chrysler has told a coalition of U.S. governors that it will consider producing flexible-fuel ethanol vehicles for sale in their agricultural states. But the governors must make a strong commitment to develop programs that will reduce the cost of biomass-produced ethanol so that a viable fueling infrastructure can develop. “We can deliver the cars,” said Ronald R. Boltz, Chrysler’s vice president of Product Strategy and Regulatory Affairs, “but policy makers, including you governors, must do your part as well to create a market for these vehicles.”

A number of actions were cited that would help make an E85 flexible-fuel vehicle program viable. Importantly, the coalition would need to develop programs with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Energy to reduce the cost of ethanol derived from biomass. It was also suggested that state taxes could be raised on conventional gasoline with the proceeds used to subsidize clean fuels and provide incentives to buyers of clean fuel vehicles. State procurement practices could help create the market by mirroring the clean fuel requirements for federal government vehicle fleets. Governors were also urged to show continuing support for national energy legislation that creates tax incentives and tax benefits for alternative fuel vehicles and fueling infrastructure.

California was cited as a good example of state government working to encourage the use of alternative fuels. Through its “Drive Clean California” campaign, the state bolsters the use of alternative fuels, most notably methanol and natural gas, through various incentive programs that help offset the purchase price of flexible-fuel vehicles and subsidize the cost of adding methanol pumps at existing service stations. CARB has also established the most stringent air quality standards in the world. State Air Quality Management Districts and CEC have negotiated with Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors to produce flexible-fuel vehicles in limited production runs for sale primarily in California where the infrastructure is being built.

The price of ethanol has steadily declined over the years. But the biomass-based fuel is still much more costly to produce than other transportation fuels, and currently receives a 60 cents-per-gallon U.S. federal subsidy. NREL is working on a process that may allow ethanol to cost about 67 cents-per-gallon by the end of the decade. That’s roughly the equivalent of $1-per-gallon gasoline. In addition, the Biofuels Systems Division of the U.S. Office of Transportation Technologies is pursuing accelerated R&D in an effort to bring ethanol to commercial readiness by the year 2000. Goal: To achieve alcohol fuel production of over 2.5 million barrels per day by 2030.