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MIT team proposes flex-fuel gasoline-alcohol engine PHEV long-haul trucks

Green Car Congress

In a paper being presented at WCX SAE World Congress Experience in Detroit this week, a team from MIT is proposing the use of a flex-fuel gasoline-alcohol engine approach for a series-hybrid powertrain for long-haul Class 8 trucks. —Daniel Cohn.

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MIT/UC Davis professors challenge claims that ethanol production decreased gasoline prices in 2010 and 2011

Green Car Congress

Knittel/Smith results for implied gasoline price effects from elimination of ethanol for 2010 using Du/Hayes model and pooled-sample estimates. Christopher Knittel at MIT and Assoc. We encourage similar skepticism about the estimated effect of ethanol on gasoline prices generated from these models. Click to enlarge.

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MIT study finds fuel economy standards are 6-14 times less cost effective than fuel tax for reducing gasoline use

Green Car Congress

In a study published in the journal Energy Economics , MIT researchers have found that a fuel economy standard is at least six to fourteen times less cost effective than a fuel tax when targeting an identical reduction in cumulative gasoline use (20% by 2050). —Karplus et al.

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MIT study finds significant economic and environmental benefits from designing US LDVs to use higher octane gasoline (98 RON)

Green Car Congress

In a companion study to an SAE paper presented in April ( earlier post ), researchers at MIT have quantified the net economic and CO 2 emissions benefit that could be obtained by utilizing 98 RON gasoline in light-duty vehicles, based on reasonable assumptions for possible refinery changes and the evolution of the LDV fleet.

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MIT and IEA reports take different views of the future of natural gas in transportation

Green Car Congress

MIT and the IEA both have newly released reports exploring the potential for and impact of a major expansion in global usage of natural gas, given the current re-evaluation of global supplies. emissions are reduced by around 25% relative to the use of gasoline for the same engine efficiency. Earlier post.)

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MIT study finds real-world NOx from diesels cars in Europe greatly exceeds laboratory levels; transboundary emissions cause 70% of health impacts

Green Car Congress

A new study by MIT researchers, published this month in Atmospheric Environment , finds that in Europe, 10 major auto manufacturers produced diesel cars, sold between 2000 and 2015, that generate up to 16 times more NO x emissions on the road than in regulatory tests—a level that exceeds European limits but does not violate any EU laws.

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Feature: Are Eco-Friendly Cars Expensive to Own?

Clean Fleet Report

Despite higher upfront costs, eco-friendly vehicles are better for not only the planet, but also your wallet. A study conducted by a team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) compared the lifetime costs of owning a gas-powered vehicle versus that of owning an eco-friendly vehicle. Hybrids and EVs can cost you less.