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Ethanol


Dacia launches ethanol-fueled version of Logan MCV

Renault's low-cost, Romania-based brand, Dacia, has introduced a new flex-fuel version of its Logan MCV people mover. The E85-capable wagon uses a 105 hp version of the Renault 1.6-liter four cylinder. With French tax incentives, the Logan starts at a rather miserly €11,200, a very moderate price in Europe. When the "field to wheel" emissions are factored in, the CO2 emissions of the Logan MCV amount to just 116 g/km although this obviously depends greatly on the feedstock source used for the ethanol production. Nonetheless, the Logan ... Read more →

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VIDEO: Argonne National Lab developing Omnivorous Engine Jeremy Korzeniewski

Gasoline, ethanol, methanol, butanol, natural gas... there are a ton of choices when deciding on what fuel is best suited for automotive use, and each of them offer at least some reason to ...

Lists? Yeah, electric vehicles get on lists. Hopeful, hopeful lists Sebastian Blanco

Here are five technologies that "could change everything": Advanced car batteries Carbon capture and storage Space-based solar power Utility storage Next-generation biofuels This ...

Ethanol will get you free parking at Vikings games, sort of Sebastian Blanco

Here's the problem with flex-fuel vehicles. Also known at E85-capable, flexfuel rides can burn straight gasoline or a gasoline/ethanol blend that is up to 85 percent ethanol. But, since they don't ...

Kansas newspapers calls for end to ethanol subsidy Sam Abuelsamid

It's no secret that ethanol is a controversial fuel. There are numerous arguments against the use of corn-derived alcohol as a fuel, both economic and environmental. The federal and some state ...

Ford: 2010 line 20-percent more efficient than '05 4 months ago on Autoblog Green

According to Ford, its 2010 lineup is about 20-percent more fuel efficient than it was in 2005, and that figure is only set to continue rising as the years progress. In fact, by 2015, Ford estimates its product line will be roughly 35-percent more fuel efficient than it was a decade prior. Says ...

REPORT: EPA's cellulosic ethanol estimates proved wrong by fraudulent company 4 months ago on Autoblog Green

The EPA issued a report not long ago stating that the U.S. would produce 100 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol in 2010, with 70 percent of this production expected to come from a single company in Alabama called Cello Energy. The EPA might have put a few too many eggs in a single basket this ...

ParaJet now accepting $16,000 deposits for the $81,700 Skycar 4 months ago on Autoblog Green

As the design of the Parajet SkyCar evolves (compare the vehicle above with this shot), so does the car's online presence. During the successful Parajet SkyCar Expedition, when the "World's First Bio-fuelled Flying Car" flew from London, England to Timbuktu in Mali, Africa, the car was highlighted ...

DOE readies $85 billion for algal and advanced biofuels 4 months ago on Autoblog Green

The DOE is getting ready to spend $85 billion on research to create biofuels made from algae and other advanced techniques. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds will be made available "for the development of algae-based biofuels and advanced, infrastructure-compatible biofuels" that can ...

Toyota's Bill Reinert lets loose on ethanol, li-ion batteries, plug-in vehicles 4 months ago on Autoblog Green

Toyota's Bill Reinert should be better known. With so many quotable statements coming from GM's Bob Lutz and Tesla Motor's Elon Musk, perhaps Reinert, Toyota Motor Sales' national manager or the advanced technology group, is just overshadowed in the OMG series. But, during a recent conference ...

Congressional Republicans call out Stephen Chu for flex-fuel vehicle remarks 4 months ago on Autoblog Green

Six Republican members of Congress have taken issue with DOE head Stephen Chu's call for all American vehicles to be E85-capable. Chu – who once said that ethanol, as it is made today, "is not the right crop for biofuels" – suggested the increase in flex-fuel availability during a ...

Derek Bell runs the Bentley Continental Supersports at Goodwood [w/VIDEO] 4 months ago on Autoblog Green

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Is Exxon making a real, $600 million biofuel shift? 4 months ago on Autoblog Green

Money talks, but how can we know what it's saying? Exxon Mobil is investing $600 million into a 5- to 6-year algae biofuel project with biotech company Synthetic Genomics. The biofuel will be made from "sunlight, water and waste carbon dioxide by photosynthetic pond scum," writes the New York ...

ALMS CEO Scott Atherton discusses the relevance of sports car racing 4 months ago on Autoblog Green

Given the current economic difficulties, automakers are finding it increasingly difficult to justify participation in motorsports. Series such as NASCAR and Formula 1, in particular, are finding their relevance questioned. One area that seems to be doing OK, for now, is sports car racing such ...

Green gasoline: Coming soon to a pump near you? 4 months ago on Autoblog Green

It may sound a bit like something from a Dr. Seuss book, but it seems "green gasoline" is indeed on its way to a pump near you. Terrabon, a Texas-based company specializing in biofuels, reports its alternative fuel is completely compatible with gasoline and can be produced using nearly any kind of ...

U.S. Postal Service gets 6,500 new alternative power vehicles 4 months ago on Autoblog Green

As part of the U.S. General Services Administration's recent $210 million purchase of new vehicles from Chrysler, Ford and General Motors, the U.S. Postal Service is set to replace some 6,500 vehicles from its current fleet with more fuel efficient models. Of that number, 1,000 of the new ...

Does the government know if ethanol cars qualify for Cash-For-Clunkers? 4 months ago on Autoblog Green

AutoblogGreen reader Michael recently sent in a question regarding the about-to-start "Cash for Clunkers" program. Officially known as the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS), the program allows owners of some older and inefficient vehicles to trade them in and get a rebate check worth up to ...

Swedish heatwave prompts recall of thousands of flex fuel Volvos 4 months ago on Autoblog Green

After receiving hundreds of complaints from Swedish drivers who have been left stranded by the side of the road, Volvo has recalled 8,500 of its V70 and S80 Flexifuel vehicles. Apparently the rigorous environmental testing the car maker employs does not extend to heatwaves like the one Sweden ...

Stockholm orders 85 timber-fueled buses from Scania 4 months ago on Autoblog Green

Sweden has latched on to ethanol as a fuel source more strongly than just about any other country except Brazil. Unlike the U.S. and Brazil, where corn and sugar cane, respectively, are the primary feedstocks, Sweden is using waste from its timber industry. Now, the Stockholm transit company ...

Dow and Algenol producing ethanol from algae and saltwater 4 months ago on Autoblog Green

When the subject of algae comes up in relation to biofuels, it's usually concerning biodiesel. That's because algae are very high in oil content. However, one of the main reasons for interest in algae is that it grows fast and consumes a significant amount of carbon dioxide. With that in mind, ...

Virent Energy Systems wins Presidential Green Chemistry award for efficient biofuel process 5 months ago on Autoblog Green

Virent Energy Systems, a biofuel company based in Madison, Wisconsin, has received a Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge award for its low-energy water-based process for producing fuels. Using its proprietary BioForming process that uses nearly zero outside energy other than what's generated by ...

Chu: all American cars should be E85 capable 5 months ago on Autoblog Green

In early May, the U.S. DOE announced a $786.5 million "third-generation" biofuel program. Yesterday, ex-biofuel researcher Stephen Chu, the Energy Secretary, said that all cars made in America should be able to burn ethanol (E85). Earlier this month, Chu said electric vehicles were "inevitable." Chu ...

Drive your green vehicle at Laguna Seca during Refuel 5 months ago on Autoblog Green

Ever wanted to take your green vehicle to a world-renowned race track, show it off to the masses and maybe even try a little race-against-the-clock action? Well, soon you can. On July 19th, Speed Ventures is presenting a day at Laguna Seca for owners, builders and manufacturers of ...

Ethanol-free gas a hot seller in Florida 5 months ago on Autoblog Green

While ethanol blended into gasoline can be a comparative good deal (or a possible scam), there's also good money to be made ignoring the biofuel altogether. At least, that's the case for two gas stations in Brevard County, Florida that proudly sell ethanol-free gasoline. The driving force for the ...

Ethanol scam going on in Virginia? 5 months ago on Autoblog Green

The Virginia State Agriculture Department is investigating gas stations that might be selling people bad gas. In this case, "bad" means too much ethanol. While the maximum percentage of ethanol that can be blended with unleaded fuel in that state is 10 percent, some people claim that some stations ...

French groups argue against using the term "biofuels" 5 months ago on Autoblog Green

The French Federation of Bio Agriculture (FNAB) is currently lobbying the French senate to forbid using the prefix "bio" when referring to fuels made from plant matter. Bear in mind that, in France, E85 is called bioéthanol and then there's biodiesel. The reason for the suggestion is a recent ...

Shell station starts selling E10 in Ottawa using wheat straw ethanol 5 months ago on Autoblog Green

A Shell station near Ottawa, Canada is leading the way in offering cellulosic ethanol at the pump. While many companies, including some in Canada, are working on making the biofuel, not many have gotten it to the refueling station. Blended at 10 percent with unleaded (E10), the ethanol is made by ...

TransAtlas: a new and interactive map for alt-fuel hunters, policymakers 5 months ago on Autoblog Green

Ever wondered where all the biodiesel drivers are? Or how about where to find the most corn ethanol is made? Questions like these can be answered over at TransAtlas, a new project by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL). While good old Joe Internet can ...

Ethanol Summit 2009 finds consensus on ethanol certification 5 months ago on Autoblog Green

The Brazilian city of São Paulo hosted this year's edition of the Ethanol Summit. Opened by former President Clinton, one of the main issues this year was how to certify sustainable ethanol. You know the story: The EU wants to burn more ethanol in order to curb greenhouse emissions and is ...

UPDATE: Ford's new Bobcat, ethanol injected, turbocharged V8 5 months ago on Autoblog Green

Back in the 1970s, a Bobcat at Ford was a Mercury-badged version of the infamous Pinto. Hopefully, the new usage of the name at Ford will turn out with better results. So far, it's looking very promising. Our buddy Mike Levine has been doing some digging in the document treasure trove at the U.S. ...

Make your own ethanol at home with the MicroFueler 5 months ago on Autoblog Green

Flex-fuel vehicles, especially trucks and SUVs, are increasingly commonplace in the U.S. market. However, in many (actually most) parts of the country, actually finding ethanol at retail pumps is exceedingly difficult, if not impossible. E-Fuel technology now has a solution that allows users to ...

Biodiesel's water footprint? 14,000 liters per liter of biofuel 5 months ago on Autoblog Green

We recently heard that, according to one group of researchers at Environmental Science & Technology magazine, corn ethanol has a water cost of 50 gallons per mile. Now, a team working from the University of Twente in the Netherlands has calculated the water cost of ethanol and other biofuels ...

Obama responds to governors' biofuels concerns 5 months ago on Autoblog Green

Presidents and biofuels. Seems to be a theme today. Back in February, the Governors' Biofuels Coalition sent a letter to President Obama asking for a stronger ethanol position, specifically asking that the national blend be increased to E13 and that the government consider promoting the ...

Bill Clinton: don't destroy the forest to make ethanol 5 months ago on Autoblog Green

During the big Ethanol Summit 2009 down in Brazil this week, former President Clinton gave a bit of advice to that country's ethanol industry: don't destroy so much forest land just to make biofuel. Clinton said that "everybody" already knows that Brazilian ethanol made from sugar cane is the most ...

Sign of the times: Ethanol almost 40 cents cheaper than gas 5 months ago on Autoblog Green

Driving around mid-Michigan over the weekend, I couldn't help but notice how much gas prices have jumped in the last few weeks. According to AAA, the national average price for a gallon of regular gas has jumped up 50 cents in the past month to $2.50. Well, this is a good time to have a flex-fuel ...

One lucky Hoosier gets ethanol, wins the lottery 5 months ago on Autoblog Green

Don't say ethanol never paid off for anyone. Summitville, Indiana resident Pamela Smith stopped off to buy E85 earlier this month and dropped a few bucks into the Indiana lottery. Luck was with her, and she won the $2.5 million Hoosier Lotto jackpot. "I was looking for Ethanol gas," Smith in a ...

Institute of Mechanical Engineers: Electric cars aren't enough (w/POLL) 5 months ago on Autoblog Green

According to a recent survey from the Royal Automobile Club Foundation in the UK, there will be lots of people who want to buy electric vehicles but are going to get frustrated by the long delay in getting EVs ready for mass consumption. That's a problem, but the Institute of Mechanical Engineers ...

Money's not there for flex-fuel and other advanced technologies, automakers say 5 months ago on Autoblog Green

Here's the thing: American automakers used to fully support E85-capable (aka flex-fuel) vehicles. With a few cheap additions to a standard engine ($100, or thereabouts), a car could get a special badge, drink corn (where available) and get the automaker a bit of goodwill, especially from ...

Ugly watermelons = ethanol opportunity 6 months ago on Autoblog Green

America, your apparent hatred for disfigured fruit means we may have a big, untapped biomass source to make ethanol. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Oklahoma has been testing ways to make the simple sugars found in watermelons into ethanol, and the USDA is now reporting some success on that ...

Corn ethanol subsidies getting the pro/con debate in Kansas 6 months ago on Autoblog Green

The debate over corn ethanol, and the federal government's strong support for the biofuel, is being debated across the U.S. Everything from the potential cost for damaged fuel systems to the possible Federal push for E15 is in the news. The discussion has even hit deep into corn country, where the ...

EPA: let's talk about that E15 raise a little longer 6 months ago on Autoblog Green

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is looking into what might happen to the environemnt if the maximum level of ethanol mixed into the national liquid fuel supply is increased from 10 percent (where it is today) to 15. This is raising all sorts of issues, as we've pretty much described to ...

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