A few days ago, Petron Corp. Philippines revealed that the alternative fuel, E10, had harmful effects on vehicles. Corrosion, which was pointed out as the main culprit that could pose severe threats to a car’s fuel and gas intake parts, were attributed to other factors such as the use of previous types of fuel and inferior replacement parts. This was what Department of Energy Secretary Angelo T. Reyes revealed in the light of the fear that the celebrated E10 fuel may be doing more harm than good for vehicles.

According to the DOE secretary as well, the purity of local ethanol was 99.8 percent, just above the 99.3-percent standard. This may seem like an answer but the number of car owners complaining about the E10 ethanol fuel may be something to consider as well. If the case were for just a couple of motorists, then this excuse could be accepted. However, that is just the thing; there are no definitive numbers to actually pinpoint if majority of car owners using the E10 fuel have indeed had problems with it.

Finally, the E10 ethanol fuel was claimed to likewise help clean fuel tanks. Now this seems contradicting if you tie it up with the motorist claims. If actual numbers of complainants can be shown, the actual judgment on whether the E10 is good or bad for cars can be adjudged. But for now, it has been a battle of opinion which is not resolving anything as far as this issue is concerned.

Image Courtesy: Petron Fuel Success

(Source) Philippine Daily Inquirer

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We are all aware that the search for alternative fuel for use by cars these days is growing rampant and apparently we have seen a lot of them. Leading the pack are biodiesels and ethanol but as criticized before, the matter of how the car engine would react is still up in the air.

The manufacturers claim that they will not have any effect and even improve car performance. However, as far as the Philippines Petron Corporation is concerned, they are harmful and may lead to damaged car engines.

The Ethanol gasoline E10 is the alternative fuel being hit, said to be highly corrosive. The E10 fuel is still being sold locally in the Philippines and reports of damaged car engines have been relayed. The Department of Energy (DOE) has been urged of the matter and nothing has been divulged as of yet.

The E10 damages a car’s gas tank, fuel pump, carburetor and fuel injector according to Petron Corp. Chairman Ramon S. Ang. The problem, he said, was that the government did not specify that there should be a dehydrator to remove the water content, which is what makes the ethanol-blended gasoline (E10) highly corrosive.

(Source) Philippine Daily Inquirer

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With the call for alternative fuel still up in the air, the mass production for biofuels and biodiesels tries to adhere to the demand as US Biofuels Inc. sets to launch major green fuel production with recent gains from 12 greenhouses. Each greenhouse will be constructed and renovated for the purpose of growing algae in a closed system, using the photobioreactor (PBR) process for the production of Biofuel.

What is a PBR?

PBR is a bioreactor, which includes some kind of light source. Really any clear, translucent container could be called a PBR, but the term is more commonly used to define a closed system, as opposed to an open tank or pond. This system allows more species to be grown at a faster rate, extending the growing season, and if heated it can produce all year round.

US Biofuels looks forward to producing biofuel all year round from these greenhouses and hopes to complete the construction and renovations of the greenhouses by 2010. After which they anticipate to produce over 4 million gallons of biodiesel gas just from these 12 greenhouses alone.

US Biofuels is also currently researching new strains of algae to better manufacture more precise mixtures for products such as jet fuel and other special use products. Planning to open a chain of 145 resale locations throughout the nation, US Biofuels looks forward to producing alternative fuels and help America achieve a greener, cleaner environment.

(Source) Press

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A top secret two-seater hydrogen car is the first car that has been enabled by Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies. The new fuel cells back the new UK car which is said to be better than most hybrid and electric cars in the market today. It can consume only 360 miles to the gallon and could be made available to consumers for just 200 pounds Sterling ($315) per month.

Developed by Riversimple, the small city car integrates a 6kW fuel cell from Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies. The vehicle maximizes energy efficiency by utilizing lightweight composite materials, eliminating heavy mechanical component, and by networking fuel cells with ultra capacitors and 60% regenerative braking energy into one symbiotic system. The result is ground-breaking: 240 miles (390 km) can be traveled on one small tank of hydrogen weighing only 2.2 lbs (1 kilogram).

When you talk about price and alternative fuel or transportation, this supposed secret car does seem enticing. With the growing rant for other forms of potential vehicle preference, this latest top secret car certainly promises a lot. Best of all, it has a ready supply of fuel cells to back it up!

(Source) Press

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For people who need more information and actual demonstrations on the proper understanding of hydrogen and renewable fuel, perhaps a visit to Downtown Seattle can do the trick. Propel Fuels has arranged for a Hydrogen Vehicle Showdown in Seattle, providing a preview on the latest in hydrogen fuel cell vehicle designs.

Also, the show aims to properly educate people on the perks and benefits that renewable fuel brings to society, a familiar term we have been hearing for the past months in connection for the call towards new vehicles running on alternative sources of fuel. Fuel cell vehicles from Daimler, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Toyota and Volkswagen are on display, and experts from these companies are on hand to answer questions from Propel customers and alternative fuel enthusiasts.

“Propel’s fueling platform delivers advanced low carbon fuels including biodiesel from waste stream feedstocks like recycled fats and oils, and locally grown, marginal land crops like camelina,” said Rob Elam, President and Co-Founder of Propel. “Our fueling platform has the forward-flexibility to accommodate advanced fuels such as bio-methane, hydrogen and electric charging as these vehicle technologies gain momentum in the marketplace. Today’s event shows how close these vehicles are to commercialization.”

(Source) Press

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Daimler will be putting the icing on the cake of a successful five year run for its A-Class F-Cell powered vehicle with its participation at the Hydrogen Road Tour 09 at California today. This nine-day road trip is a great way to showcase the F-Cell hydrogen vehicle, competing alongside other car manufacturers showcasing their own hydrogen powered vehicle programs.

Fuel cell technology is key to emission-free driving in the future, as it is the only emission-free technology equally suited for both short and long distance mobility. Bringing fuel cell technology to market requires efficient cooperation between political decision-makers, the oil industry, the energy sector, and other potential investors.

The call for alternative fuel to run vehicles is apparent. And armed with a 5-year backing on its fuel cell technology, Daimler surely has the lead in convincing people on which company has the inside track, having a tried and tested car that has been around for the past five years.

So you may say, regardless of the outcome of this tour, Daimler will be up there among the choices of fuel cell cars that may come out in the future.

(Source) Press

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Volkswagen of America has announced the launch of its TDI Truth & Dare blog to help enhance diesel myths. The blog forum will differentiate “diesel” from “clean diesel” and encourage active participation through two simple challenges.

First, visitors will learn the truth about clean diesel technology by understanding the facts. Second, the forum will dare visitors to get involved in the alternative fuel discussion by participating in online events like the “Tank Wars” fuel efficient driving challenge and using applications like “Diesel Finder” and “Savings Calculator.”

Additionally, the blog will post relevant facts and discussions from Volkswagen as well as third party sources and consumers to keep visitors up to date on the latest diesel conversation. The blog forum will run year round and serve as a platform for product and clean diesel messaging in a voice that is unique to Volkswagen.

“Volkswagen believes that clean diesel offers drivers a high-mileage, fuel efficient vehicle without compromising on great performance,” said Tim Ellis, Vice President of Marketing, Volkswagen of America. “TDI Truth & Dare will engage consumers in conversation while it educates them about the clean diesel facts and how well our TDI family compares against competitive alternative fuel offerings.”

(Source) Press

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The State of California takes its cue from the regulation made possible by Governor Arnold Schwarzenneger on Low Carbon Fuel Standard, calling for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from California’s transportation fuels by 10 percent by 2020.

The regulation encourages the use of four primary low carbon alternative fuels for transportation: hydrogen, electricity, natural gas and biomethane. Two of the four fuels, natural gas and biomethane, are in the form of fuel (CNG and LNG) provided by Clean Energy Fuels Corp., North America’s leader in clean transportation.

“The new standard means we can begin to break our century-old dependence on petroleum and provide California with greater energy security,” said California ARB Chairman Mary D. Nichols in making the announcement.

“This regulation confirms the value of using domestic natural gas as a low carbon alternative fuel for transportation as California and the nation seek to clean the air and reduce dependence on imported petroleum,” said Andrew J. Littlefair, Clean Energy president and CEO. “Domestic CNG and LNG already exceed the state’s 2020 goal of 10% carbon reduction.”

(Source) Press

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Maruti has revealed that in 3 to 5 years time, they will be launching their own line of hybrid cars and compressed natural gas (CNG) variants for three or four models in the domestic market. The plan is part of the company’s broad strategy to develop small cars that run on alternative fuel technology.

“We are developing electric car technology for India. But it might take us up to the next five years or more to manufacture and sell electric cars in the domestic market,” said Maruti Suzuki Managing Director Shinzo Nakanishi.

Maruti Suzuki Chairman R C Bhargava, added, “We are working on multi-fuel variants and some models have been identified for CNG. A CNG kit currently costs over Rs 40,000 and that is expensive. Also, these cars can only be launched in 2010 or 2011, when there is a pan-India CNG filling system from companies like Reliance.”

Bhargava pointed out that even Delhi lacked sufficient CNG filling systems for commercial vehicles. The company has already launched LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) variants of the Maruti 800 and Wagon R.

(Source) Business Standard

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Electric Vehicles International (EVI) is headed back to California and will be demonstrating its “Road Ready” commercial vehicle at Faster Freight – Cleaner Air (FFCA California), which is being held this week at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, CA. Having recently completed its launch into the U.S., EVI offers the first pure electric and hybrid electric Class 3-6 commercial trucks available in the U.S., which are in full compliance with stringent federal and state regulatory requirements for their respective weight classes.

The recently passed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 includes a number of financial incentives for EVs that can range from $7,500 to $15,000 per vehicle. In addition, a number of other incentives and subsidies are available in California including the following:

• As funded by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and administered by the California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE), up to $1.62 million will have been dispensed by March 31, 2009 for vehicle incentive rebates in the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Incentive Program;
• The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) offers an EV discount of $0.025/kWh for charging, and provides EV-infrastructure services to help customers determine applications for EVs in fleet operations, EV maintenance services and training.

In addition to being a sponsor at this year’s FFCA California, EVI is exhibiting and offering demos at Booth #123. On Tuesday, March 24 at 1:30pm PT, EVI will hold a press conference in Conference Room 102BC, which will be followed by a special “Ride and Drive” for members of the media. The 3-day conference and expo is being held at the Long Beach Convention Center adjacent to the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles to showcase innovative programs, policies and technologies around the world to improve efficiency and reduce air quality impacts of the goods movement industry.

(Source) Press

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Do not think that just because oil and fuel prices today are manageable that electric cars or vehicles running on alternative fuel are going to be shelved. The current trends may be appealing but they should not let us put down our guards when it comes to fuel requirements we have today.

Fuel prices may be dropping now, but experts predict that the energy and environmental challenges for the transportation and goods movement industry are far from over. In March 2009, join world-renowned industry and policy experts outlining clean solutions at the Clean Heavy Duty Vehicle Conference & Expo. 2009: the most exciting, timely national conference on the latest, real-world technologies and fuels for heavy duty vehicles and buses.

Major fleet, government and company executives will take part in Long Beach, March 16-18 at the Hyatt Regency Long Beach and the Long Beach Convention Center.

(Source) Business Wire

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We are all aware that the search for alternative fuel these days is imperative. However, while we are familiar with ethanol, there is a new fuel type which is acclaimed to be a whole lot better than ethanol and this is Biobutanol.

Biobutanol has a number of important advantages as a fuel over ethanol. It has a higher energy value and is more hydrophobic so it can be transported via existing pipelines within the petroleum based fuel infrastructure. Biobutanol can also be added to gasoline at a higher level without engine modification, and it is believed to have application in both diesel and gasoline blends. Today, SRI Consulting (SRIC) published its new Biobutanol report, providing comprehensive results on the technological and economic aspects of producing biobutanol via two new processes.

The first process evaluated is a modification of the established acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation developed by the University of Illinois. The second process is based on the production of isobutanol (2-methyl-1-propanol) by a proposed solvent-tolerant microorganism with a proprietary recovery process based on conversion of a corn dry mill. Neither process is commercial but is in the process demonstration phase. For a benchmark, the report evaluates ethanol production by corn dry milling.

(Source) Press

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Toyota has added another twist to its popular car brand line Innova. Traditionally we all know the Toyota Innova to run on gas and diesel fuel but today, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) introduced the Innova CNG in India.

“Toyota is an environment conscious company committed to the cause of nurturing and protecting nature in its myriad forms. With CNG having established itself as an eco-friendly, reliable and economic fuel, TKM is pleased to announce India’s first ever energy efficient MPV in India. This is yet another step in our efforts to make the environment more inhabitable.”

The CNG Innova will be priced at around Rs 85000 higher than the current petrol version.

It can be recalled that the growing fuel costs have compelled every car maker to come up with an alternative fuel option cars in the market. There has been a surge in demand for such model in markets like India which are extremely price sensitive.

(Source) A Pakistan News

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The Aussie counterpart of the widely popular Chevy Volt comes in the form of the 2012 Holden Volt, a sleek right-hand car whose details were released just recently.

GM Holden Chairman and Managing Director Mark Reuss said the company had been overwhelmed by public interest in Volt since announcing it would launch in Australia in 2012.

“We think Volt has the potential to change the game in Australian motoring,” Mr Reuss said.

“Since we announced our plans to introduce Volt to Australia, we have been overwhelmed by public interest in the car and the technology that makes it work.

“There is no doubt that Volt’s advanced propulsion systems represent some of the most exciting alternative fuel developments in motoring.

General Motors estimates that compared to similar sized petrol-powered vehicles, Volt will save motorists up to 1892 liters of fuel a year. This is based on US research that identifies 75 per cent of commuters travel an average daily distance of less than 40 miles (64 kilometers).

When Volt’s battery energy is depleted, a small petrol engine generates enough electricity to power the vehicle for hundreds of additional kilometers.

Volt is planned for manufacture at GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly and is scheduled for launch in the US in late 2010. The right-hand-drive version will launch later.

(Source) Jalopnik

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Volkswagen has long been an endorser of clean fuel, dating back to 2008 when they used clean diesel technology on the race track. Today, Volkswagen of America, Inc. announced it will use B5 biodiesel to power its race cars, transport vehicles and generators during the 2009 Jetta TDI Cup season.

Houston-based HYPERFUELS will supply B5 biodiesel for the series, which is sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Pro Racing.

“We are extremely pleased to have HYPERFUELS as a partner for the 2009 Jetta TDI Cup series. SynDiesel(R) B5 biodiesel has been fully approved for use in all Volkswagen TDI powered vehicles that are available at local Volkswagen dealerships today,” said Clark Campbell, Motorsport Manager, Volkswagen of America, Inc. “The addition of SynDiesel B5 biodiesel in the Jetta TDI Cup race cars further demonstrates the feasibility of biodiesel as an alternative fuel source for American consumers and supports the clean and green racing of the Jetta TDI Cup series,” added Campbell.

(Source) Press

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