Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has been awarded a five-year, $20.16-million contract by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide testing and analytical services related to vehicle emissions and fuel consumption. It encompasses 25 areas, from fuels and lubricants to engine and emissions characterizations, as well as economic studies, general rule-making support, and coordinating peer review meetings. Emissions Fuel Efficiency Regulations MORE

Ethanol isn’t the only alternative fuel for motor vehicles – as a new demonstration plant is keen to prove. Tags: Biofuels Green cars Latest news Alternative Fuels alternatives to ethanol alternatives to gasoline biogasoline biogasoline plant ethanol shell Virent Energy Systems MORE

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. Gasoline Biofuels EPA ethanol e85 United States E10 flex fuel alternative fuel vehicles e15 MORE

Toyota may be well established as the hybrid car leader but it hasn’t turned its attention away from other alternative fuels. Tags: Biofuels Green cars Latest news Toyota algae biofuels Alternative Fuels alternative vehicle fuels Toyota algae biofuel research project MORE

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is accepting grant applications for innovative, advanced fuel, and vehicle technology projects that will result in cleaner advanced alternative transportation within the commonwealth. DEP’s Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant (AFIG) Program offers funding for the purchase and use of alternative fuels and alternative fuel vehicles. Conversions Electric (Battery) Fuels Policy MORE

The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) is partnering with Mack Trucks, Oberon Fuels and Westcan Bulk Transport to develop fuel moisture management technology for dimethyl ether (DME), a cleaner-burning (sulfur-free and no PM), high-cetane (55-60), diesel fuel alternative that can be made from natural gas or methanol produced from biomass feedstock, such as wood chips. Rebecca Boudreaux, President, Oberon Fuels. DME Fuels Heavy-duty MORE

Australia’s CSIRO, together Australasian aviation partners, is leading a study to help develop a sustainable aviation fuels industry. Called the Sustainable Aviation Fuels Road Map, the study aims to accelerate the development and commercialization of a sustainable aviation fuels industry in Australia and New Zealand. The Sustainable Aviation Fuels Road Map study will draw on the expertise of participants and use economic modelling to map out future scenarios. MORE

Ongoing research in the industry has been exploring cost-effective fuel alternatives. Other higher ethanol blends such as E15 have caused issues in recreational marine engines, including fuel phase separation, fuel system compatibility issues and engine failures. These issues have driven the marine industry to explore alternative biofuel solutions such as biobutanol. The fuel was a blend of 16.1% MORE

Virgin Atlantic announced the development of a low-carbon, synthetic jet fuel kerosene produced from industrial waste gases with half the carbon footprint of the standard fossil fuel alternative in partnership with LanzaTech and Swedish Biofuels. Virgin Atlantic will be the first airline to use this fuel and will work with LanzaTech, Boeing and Swedish. Biofuels towards achieving the technical approval required for using new fuel types in commercial aircraft. MORE

TEF project points to deep cuts in petroleum and emissions in the transportation sector by focusing on modes, fuels, and demand. TEF is organized into four research areas: light-duty vehicles; non-light-duty vehicles; fuels; and transportation demand. Using less fuel in vehicles. MORE

The good news about electricity as a transportation fuel for cars is finally breaking through to the mainstream. Hydrogen and fuel cells remain decades from meaningful deployment, even their supporters concede. Boone Pickens is spending tens of millions of dollars promoting CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) as the bridge fuel to get the U.S. And today natural gas is a critical fuel for electricity generation. MORE

Replacing existing fossil fuels with biopropane will result in significant carbon savings. LPG already provides our customers with a cleaner rural energy choice to the high-carbon fuel alternatives many are dependent on in off-grid areas. Neste Oil and SHV Energy have agreed that SHV Energy will market and sell biopropane to be produced at Neste Oil’s Rotterdam refinery. Earlier post.) MORE

Controlled biosynthesis of odd-chain fuels and chemicals via engineered modular metabolic pathways. Metabolic pathway construction for direct microbial synthesis of pentanol from glucose or glycerol. MORE

The first is medium- and heavy-duty powertrain electrification; the second is a dual fuel fleet demonstration. Area of Interest (AOI) 2: Dual Fuel Heavy Duty Vehicle Fleet Demonstration. The objective of this AOI is to demonstrate and evaluate the performance and emissions systems of dual fuel heavy-duty vehicles equipped with engines capable of operation using a mixture of diesel fuel and gaseous fuels (natural gas, propane or natural gas derived fuels such as DME). MORE

It may be an aggressive prediction – but a report by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute is suggesting that 90 per cent of vehicle fleets in the USA, China, Western Europe, Brazil and Japan could be running on alternative powertrain/fuels by 2050. Tags: Green cars Latest news 2050 Alternative Fuels alternative powertrains vehicle growth rate vehicle predictions vehicle sales MORE

Bio-SNG (Synthetic Natural Gas) delivered via the gas grid offers CO 2 lifecycle savings of up to 90% compared with fossil fuel alternatives, and offer sa more cost-effective solution than electricity for carbon abatement in transport applications, according to a new feasibility study published by National Grid (UK), the North East Process Industry Cluster ( NEPIC ) and Centrica. Cost of carbon abated for transport applications. Click to enlarge. MORE

The ‘Vauxhall Ampera x super/collider Science Weekend’ is set to feature a series of challenging, informative and entertaining events based around different fuel types from next Thursday 16 August at the once disused King’s Cross Filling Station. Vauxhall’s Ampera will play a central role in a free four-day science-fest in London next week. MORE

A new assessment of the viability of coal-to-liquids (CTL) technology by researchers from the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change (JPSPGC) found that without climate policy, CTL has the potential to account for around a third of global liquid fuels by 2050. MORE

fuel supply, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has boosted its proposed ethanol volume for 2017. Under the Renewable Fuel Standard enacted in 2007, specific quantities of ethanol must be blended the national fuel supply. EPA ethanol energy policy e85 flex fuel alternative fuel vehicles transportation policyDespite pressure to lower the amount of ethanol blended into the U.S. MORE

Advanced biomass-derived transportation fuels that use a domestic, renewable feedstock provide a secure alternative that reduces the risks associated with petroleum dependence, they said. Enhanced reliability of fuel supplies through diversification to advanced drop-in biofuels is also essential to sustain the U.S. Only a handful of production facilities for renewable jet fuel and diesel will operate in the foreseeable future. MORE

A report analyzing the uptake of low-carbon fuels says that fossil-fuel alternatives are actually growing faster than expected. The report, produced by a coalition of investors, utilities, and makers of alternative fuels and vehicles, suggests alternative fuels are proving more popular than anticipated, with biodiesels in particular more popular MORE

The MOU covers efforts in the areas of energy efficiency, renewable energy, water efficiency, fossil fuels, alternative fuels, efficient transportation technologies and fueling infrastructure, grid security, smart grid, storage, waste-to-energy, basic science research, mobile/deployable power, small modular reactor nuclear energy, and related areas. MORE

It goes without saying that we all want our petrol engines to achieve better fuel economy at a lower cost – however, according to a new study, US vehicle owners would rather existing engine choices achieve this goal over opting for higher priced alternative fuel engines. MORE

EPIC Fuels , a fuel supplier to the general and commercial aviation industries, provided expertise in fuel blending as well as technical and logistical support to Alaska and Gevo, Inc., a next generation biofuels company, to enable the first commercial flights using a blend of petroleum based fuel and Gevo’s alcohol-to-jet fuel (ATJ). After blending traditional jet fuel with Gevo’s patented ATJ, the 20% fuel mix was tested at an ASTM-approved laboratory. MORE

Ford Motor Company is leading a €3.5-million (US$3.9-million) research project to investigate the use of alternative fuels that could offer customers the power and performance of modern internal combustion engines with environmental benefits comparable to an electric vehicle. OME1 is made from methanol on a commercial scale and has a cetane number of 38; it can be mixed with additives to produce OME1a diesel fuel (CN 48).). Diesel DME Engines Fuels Power-to-Liquids MORE

Recently, the Energy Resources Center made headlines by saying the EPA’s shift on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) would equal adding 1 million more passenger vehicles on the road. It’s also a political lightning rod given the stagnation of fuel consumption matched with accelerating ethanol blending. The expansion of the RFS in 2007 goes far beyond just replacing MTBE with ethanol as the required fuel oxygenate (and avoiding lawsuits ). Unrenewable Fuel Standard. MORE

The tragic oil spill off the Gulf of Mexico appears to be creating a backlash against US investment into offshore drilling. Two Republican senators in the US, Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and Charlie Crist of Florida have since withdrawn their support for drilling in the ocean as a result of the accident. Oil has been [.]. Latest news BP Deepwater Horizons drilling Gulf Mexico Oil policy slick spill U.S MORE

Conventional cars work by exploding fuel and air in a chamber to exert force on the pistons, but what if rather than using an explosion to provide that pressure on the piston, you just stored your ‘fuel’ at a constant high pressure. Tags: Editorials Compressed Air Green Cars Alternative Fuels Alternative Transport Could the answer to our transport needs have been right in front of our faces all this time? MORE

An evaluation of the implementation possibilities of power-to-fuel (PTF) technologies by a team from Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH in Germany recommends the PTF products DME, OME 3-5 and n-alkanes as suitable diesel alternatives for the transportation sector. MORE

The California Energy Commission is issuing a solicitation ( GFO-17-901 ) to provide up to $3 million in funding for innovative, pre-commercial low-carbon fuel production processes that result in the development of bio-oil as an intermediate fuel with wide-scale adoption potential used for renewable jet fuel production. Applicants must site a demo facility in California that will produce a minimum of 50,000 gallons of bio-oil intermediate fuel over the term of the project. MORE

There may be a new alternative to petrol and ethanol in the form of the liquid biofuel dimethylfuran – DMF. Tags: Biofuels Green cars Latest news Alternative Fuels alternative vehicle fuels biofuel dimethylfuran DMF Innospec University of Birmingham MORE

The founding partners of Alliance AutoGas—a national propane Autogas vehicle conversion and fueling network—are closely involved with the program. Blossman Gas (the nation’s largest independent propane Autogas company) will install and service the fueling stations, and American Alternative Fuel (alternative fuel systems specialists) will provide the conversion equipment and work with participating fleets to train and certify their technicians. MORE

NYK will build a tugboat featuring a dual fuel engine that can be powered by either liquefied natural gas (LNG) or heavy oil. Other than LNG carriers, this tugboat will be the first building in Japan of an LNG-fueled vessel. MORE

Researchers at Chalmers University and their colleagues have engineered synthetic fatty acid synthases (FASs) that enable yeast to produce short/medium-chain fatty acids and methyl ketones for use in fuels and chemicals. Bio-hydrocarbons Biotech Fuels Synthetic Biology MORE

With the price of fuel continuing to rise, you might expect more and more Americans to prioritise the nation’s energy supply as a key issue. However, according to research by the Pew Research Center, 52 per cent of Americans now believe that developing alternative sources of energy – such as wind and solar power – [.]. Green cars Latest news fossil fuel green cars Pew Research USA MORE

Gulf Oil LP, a national branded supplier of motor fuels throughout the United States and its territories, has deployed 34 transport trucks that run on liquefied natural gas (LNG). Gulf’s move into the LNG marketplace is part of the company’s ongoing strategy to diversify its energy offerings and provide the marketplace with a fuel alternative that is cheaper, cleaner, and domestic. MORE

While there are questions as to whether farming seaweed as an alternative to fossil fuels can be a commercially viable business, the eleven project partners are hop[.]. MORE

Policies to entice consumers away from fossil-fuel powered vehicles and normalize low carbon, alternative-fuel alternatives, such as electric vehicles, are vital if the world is to significantly reduce transport sector carbon pure-emissions, according to a new study. MORE

The ReShip project, led by the Paper and Fibre Research Institute (PFI) with R&D partners Aston University (UK) and NTNU (Norway), is developing technology for producing a cost-competitive pyrolysis-oil-based multi-component fuel which meets the performance requirements of marine diesel engines. In cooperation with PFI they will also seek to blend the bio-oil with conventional diesel and surfactant to form a multi-component fuel. MORE

The California Energy Commission Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program (ARFVTP) is making up to $1,194,659 in grant funds available to develop a new center or expand an existing center for alternative fuels and advanced vehicle technologies in Central California. For the purposes of the solicitation: Alternative fuels include, but are not limited to electricity, natural gas, biogas, hydrogen, ethanol, biodiesel, and renewable diesel. MORE

At least in North America, ethanol is a contentious fuel. fuel supplies. Much debate followed over using "food for fuel," its supposed carbon neutrality and the footprint of the. ethanol Department of Energy research DOE carbon dioxide flex fuel alternative fuel vehicles scienc MORE

A study published by the National Grid in the UK is suggesting that Bio-SNG (Synthetic Natural Gas) could achieve carbon dioxide (CO2) savings of up to 90 per cent compared with fossil fuel alternatives. The report, prepared by Progressive Energy and CNG Services, shows that unlike biomethane produced by anaerobic digestion Bio-SNG is formed by [.]. MORE

fuel supply. The Renewable Fuel Standard in place since 2007 calls for specific volumes of ethanol, but critics have tried to cap that amount while the EPA has tried to maintain or. Gasoline ethanol energy policy e85 E10 flex fuel alternative fuel vehicles e15 transportation policyThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is struggling with Congress and various corporate interests over the amount of ethanol that will be blended into the U.S. MORE