Unguzzle

Running On Regular: Do Premium Vehicles Really Need Premium Gasoline?

Stan Baldwin — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 10:42:46 -0500

Long before gasoline rocketed through $4 a gallon many people were dismayed to see a significant percentage of their income disappearing into the tank of their car. Today, a wobbly economic outlook, increases in the cost of most other forms of energy, as well as the cost of life’s staples, have prompted folks to look for every possible way to cut back on spending. “Can I save money by running my car on Regular?” “Will it hurt the engine?” my friends ask. More than one person driving a car the manufacturer has spec’d for Premium has told me “I use Regular and my car runs fine.” Are there consequences of “down grading” your fuel? It is definitely a timely question, so we sent e-mail inquiries off to a half dozen manufacturers asking about their technology and their policy on the matter.

While waiting for their reply let’s review some internal combustion engine characteristics. Fuel does not truly explode in a cylinder, at least it isn’t supposed to. It burns smoothly, albeit very rapidly, across the cylinder. The octane rating is a measure of the propensity a given fuel has to burning, rather than exploding. Gasoline “exploding” in the cylinder is frequently called “detonation” or more colloquially, “knocking” or “pinging”. These explosions, because they happen as the piston is rising during the compression stroke and try to shove the piston back down the bore, can do damage over time. In the case of severely stressed motors, such as in race cars, a few seconds of serious detonation can destroy the engine. Two of the mechanical considerations affecting how smoothly a fuel burns are compression and cylinder head configuration. Two variable considerations of great importance are the temperature in the cylinder and the ignition timing. Every manufacturer designs and builds their engines to operate most efficiently for the application intended with a gasoline of a particular octane rating.

Not all that long ago, before the advent of engine management systems, the result of tanking up a high compression vehicle with standard grade fuel was immediately obvious. Providing the stereo wasn’t cranked up past 100 decibels, the pinging or knocking from the engine compartment let you know something was not right. Driving up a hill, towing a load or simply accelerating quickly produced an unnerving rattle from under the hood. It sounded very much like your carbureted V-8 had morphed into a diesel. Until the age of microprocessors enabled the creation of engine management systems, the consequence of a steady diet of low octane fuel could be fatal for a high performance engine.

General Motors, Honda, Toyota and BMW responded to our inquiry. Honda’s public relations representative declined to comment on the issue. Toyota noted that essentially all their current models are designed to run on 87 octane. I asked about using 85 octane, available in some markets, and Bill Kwong of Toyota corporate PR told me they would run fine, with maybe only a slight 2-3 percent decline in horsepower and fuel mileage. But 85 octane is usually only offered in markets at altitude (i.e. Denver, Colorado) where the reduced oxygen doesn’t allow an engine to reach full designed power in any event. If you drive a modern Toyota, the octane rating of your fuel isn’t much of an issue. But what about a brand aimed squarely at the performance market? What about BMW?

Thomas Plucinsky, BMW Product and Technology Communications Manager told us all BMW engines are designed to run on 91 octane. All performance testing, including EPA emissions and fuel mileage, is done with 91 octane. However, though BMW is all about performance, their motors will run on 89 or 87 octane without damage. The knock sensors pull the ignition timing back and eliminate detonation. There will be a loss of power and a decrease in fuel mileage, but the size of the horsepower loss and the increase in fuel consumption depends upon many factors, such as ambient temperature, exact formulation of the fuel and driving technique, so BMW does not offer any estimates for operation on lower grade fuels. One not so obvious concern, Mr. Plucinsky noted, is the type and quality of additives the gasoline companies include in the fuel. Premium gasolines may have better additive packages which are more effective keeping fuel systems (particularly injectors) clean and working efficiently, than those in regular grade fuels or off-brand products. Using lower octane or off-brand fuel could be degrading the fuel system over time, setting you up for a repair bill down the line.

Dave Muscaro, Director of Engine Development/Calibration for GM power trains explained GM has “three flavors” of fuel specification for their offerings: Regular (87 octane) Recommended, Premium (91) Recommended, and Premium Required. Again, we are more concerned with the last two categories where regular could be substituted for the specified Premium. All the engines have a knock sensing ability that retards the spark when detonation occurs. For the premium recommended vehicles the spark advance will be pulled back enough to eliminate the detected knocking. The typical driver will not notice a performance decrease, except under load, and mileage will decline slightly. The engines intended for performance, such as the LS7 or the supercharged small block V-8, are Premium Required powertrains. The customers clearly were not primarily concerned with economy when they chose a performance vehicle and GM optimizes the engine management system to deliver the highest possible power output at all times. To this end the detonation control system does not retard the spark to the point required to prevent all knocking. It would seem a determined deranged drag racer could run Regular in his Corvette and, over time, he might manage to melt a piston or two.

If burning 87 octane in your car, when 91 octane is specified, will not harm the engine, and the performance degradation is not noticeable in typical driving, how much money can you save? The Energy Information Administration, U.S. Government Department of Energy, offers some figures for US gasoline retail prices (these are averages, all areas, all formulations). A year ago Regular was going for $2.982 a gallon and Premium was commanding $3.196 a gallon. The 21.4 cent difference delivered a 6.7 percent saving over Premium. This June 23, 2008, Regular extracted $4.079 from your wallet while Premium sucked up $4.312 for every gallon. The differential (23.3 cents) has grown slightly since 2007 but buying Regular is now only 5.4 percent cheaper than Premium. Since 5 percent is roughly the typical percentage of mileage decrease to be expected with the 87 octane fuel in a 91 octane engine, is there any savings at all?

Bottom Line: Most modern engines are fuel injected and controlled by sophisticated engine management systems which can rapidly and accurately compensate for lower octane fuel by retarding the ignition. Running these cars on 87 octane will not hurt them. However, the immediate savings at the pump may be wiped out by the subsequent drop in fuel mileage and performance, not to mention the possibility of damage over time.

Even Amish Feeling Gas Pinch

Chris Paukert — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:10:46 -0500

It’s probably the last segment of the population you would expect to feel the pain at the pump, but apparently high gas prices are even taking their toll on the Amish.

While their beliefs prohibit them from using gasoline-powered vehicles, certain orders of the Amish are apparently perfectly within their faith to operate internal-combustion engines, and many do so regularly. According to Pennsylvania paper The Evening Sun, these Amish use such powerplants to help them in agricultural work, including a horse-drawn drag-behind mower.

Is anyone safe from the effects of high gas prices? Have your say in ‘Comments.’

+ The Evening Sun: Amish feel gas price sting too

Ford Fiesta S Five-Door Makes Beijing Debut

Seyth Miersma — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 08:00:51 -0500

Ford has unveiled the Chinese version of the Fiesta hatchback in Beijing, a five-door hatch trimmed out for Auto China as the Fiesta S.

While the Chinese version of the car seems to be largely the same as the European Fiesta that was shown this year in Geneva, the car’s S trim package offers a funkier body kit which could hint at performance variants of the Fiesta yet to come. The more aggressive front air dam and five-door layout certainly seem to work well on the car’s architecture though, and make us wonder how well the Fiesta five would do stateside, competing against cars like Honda’s Fit.

BOLD, EXCITING NEW-GENERATION FORD FIESTA REVEALED AT AUTO CHINA
Bold, Exciting New-Generation Ford Fiesta
* Advanced concept becomes modern reality – revealed alongside the Verve Concept notchback, Ford's all-new Fiesta small car carries dynamic kinetic design elements into production
* The all-new Ford Fiesta proves that attainable small cars can be exciting, dynamic and desirable
* All-new Fiesta is the first product from Ford’s new global product development process, with localized variants to be launch in Europe, Asia and the Americas between 2008 and 2010
* Ford’s all-new Fiesta follows the design direction and dynamic lead of the award-winning S-MAX and Mondeo
* Compact, strong and light in weight, the new Fiesta promises confident driving agility to accompany its bold, expressive exterior design
* Extensive use of ultra high-strength steels has allowed Ford to build a stronger, safer and highly refined all-new Fiesta
* Changan Ford Mazda Automobile Co., Ltd. begins China production of new Fiesta before end of 2008 at the $510million state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Nanjing
BEIJING, 19 April, 2008 – In a blast of Passion Orange, Ford proudly revealed its all-new global small car – the Ford Fiesta – today as a vibrant five-door hatch. The all-new Ford Fiesta has been reinvented for a new generation of customers.
Designed and developed in Europe for sale in Europe, Asia, South Africa, Australia and the Americas between 2008 and 2010, the all-new Fiesta is the first major product of Ford’s new global product development process.
The all-new Ford Fiesta's dynamic character is accentuated by its bold kinetic design. Its distinct character is further accentuated with major strides in craftsmanship, quality of materials and product choice while continuing to represent Ford Fiesta’s traditional strengths of practicality, value for money, agility and safety.
All- new Ford Fiesta clearly embodies the exterior hallmarks of kineticdesign, which has so convincingly infused emotion into the core of the Ford range in Europe and Asia.
The reveal in Europe in March of the three-door and five-door Fiesta hatch and now the China reveal of the five-door Fiesta hatch confirm that all-new Ford Fiesta will bring the most appealing elements of Verve Concept to production reality.
“I’ve been saying just wait for the all-new Fiesta to see how kinetic design can be translated into a small car,” said Martin Smith, Executive Director of Design for Ford of Europe. “Now the wait is over. New Fiesta evokes an instant emotional response that says ‘I want one’ which extends the traditionally practical values of the Fiesta brand to appeal to a new, style-conscious generation of small car buyers.”
Listening to Fiesta’s Audience
Market research is an important tool, but actually listening to the target Fiesta buyer was a key to developing the initial Verve Concepts and the resulting Fiesta. “Our customers told us the qualities they wanted in a new small car. They told us they wanted it to be bold, exciting, fun and they wanted to be proud to own and drive it,” said John Parker, Ford Motor Company executive vice president, Asia Pacific and Africa. “We’re hearing now from our potential customers that they are surprised and delighted. We’re confident a new generation of small car buyers will take a close look at the all-new Ford Fiesta.”
Fiesta Has Global Plans
The all-new Ford Fiesta is closely related to the exciting trio of Verve Concepts that were revealed globally at 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show as a three-door hatch, at 2007 Guangzhou Motor Show in China as a four-door notchback, and at 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit as another iteration of a four-door notchback. Both four-door Verve Concept sedans were tailored to regional market tastes.
Together, these concepts paved the way for the company’s new global small-car program for 2008 to 2010.
Ford designers and product development engineers in Europe have led the all-new Ford Fiesta’s global development process.
“The all-new Ford Fiesta is the first car born from our new global product development process,” said Joe Bakaj, Vice President of Product Development, Ford of Europe. “More than ever, we’re leveraging our global product development expertise, and this car sets the scene for future great products for customers around the world that are already being developed behind it in the Ford Global Product Development System pipeline.”
China Production
China production of the all-new Ford Fiesta commences before end of 2008 at the Changan Ford Mazda Automobile (CFMA) plant in Nanjing, China. The $510million state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, which commenced operations in September 2007, has the flexibility and scalability to satisfy initial capacity of 160,000 vehicles per year. The all-new Ford Fiesta will be produced at Nanjing.
“The Verve Concept so confidently combined exciting design with the promise of a fun, exciting car to drive. The all-new Fiesta delivers on the promise we made with Verve Concept. The all-new Fiesta is a dynamic car and is unlike any of its competitors in China,” said Bob Graziano, President and CEO of Ford Motor China. “It proves that a small car can be desirable.”
By 2010, Ford’s Fiesta small-car family will be manufactured in Europe, Asia and the Americas and be marketed as Fiesta in all of the world’s key automotive markets. The all-new Fiesta with truly enjoy global reach and identity.
European Engineering
Ford designers and engineers in Europe have been absolutely committed to keeping Fiesta a compact car and remained diligent on reducing weight through the entire development process. The result is a light-weight, compact Fiesta which really pays off when it comes to fuel efficiency and targeting CO2 emissions.
Component by component, the Ford development team scrutinised for weight but refused to compromise on key areas that are important to Fiesta customers. One of the biggest is safety, where all-new Fiesta makes a bold step forward with an extremely robust safety structure.
The all-new Ford Fiesta makes extensive use of ultra high-strength steels in its body structure. A remarkable amount of these specialist steels, including boron steel and dual-phase steel, is the secret to Fiesta’s quantum leap in structural stiffness for its light weight. These steels are used particularly in safety critical areas, such as the A-pillar and B-pillar, part of the ultra-rigid ‘door ring’ structure of the Fiesta bodyside.
Extending Fiesta’s traditional excellence in driving dynamics was also a priority. The all-new Fiesta will have a dynamic character to match its poised, kinetic design style hinting at energy in motion. Ford’s acclaimed dynamics engineers responsible for fine tuning Focus and Mondeo driving dynamics also worked hard to enhance Fiesta’s ride comfort and isolate road, wind and powertrain noise from the cabin, and to give the new model an impressively quiet driving quality for a small car.
The all-new Fiesta retains the MacPherson strut front suspension and twist-beam rear suspension layout that has been one of its traditional strengths, but the new suspension and steering system has undergone an array of enhancements.
Electric-Power Assist Steering (E-PAS) is introduced in the Fiesta for the first time. E-PAS provides the right balance of low-speed assistance and excellent feel and responsiveness.
E-PAS has another key benefit. It is another key facet of new Fiesta’s initiatives to reduce fuel consumption.
The electric power steering pump only operates when steering-effort assistance is required, unlike traditional hydraulic PAS pumps that operate constantly when the engine is running. This brings a fuel consumption reduction.
Bold, Dynamic, Sculpted
The bold colours and sculpted surfaces of the all-new Ford Fiesta indicate how deeply the spirit of the Verve Concept has been carried into production as the latest model of Ford’s kinetic design family.
Exciting and vibrant production colours include the Beijing reveal colour of Passion Orange and the bright Lightning Yellow to awaken Fiesta’s bold and independent character.
The muscular, coupé-like profile and athletic presence of the all-new Fiesta demonstrates that none of the emotional appeal of the concept cars has been diluted in the production-ready five-door Fiesta hatch.
“All the vital elements of kinetic design combine to create a visually rich, dynamic exterior shape that is very close indeed to the original concept car,” said Martin Smith, Ford of Europe’s Executive Director for Design. “Full surfaces, bold graphics and dynamic lines combine coherently and harmoniously to create a dynamic spirit of fun and energy in motion.”
With a feeling of toned muscularity, the all-new Ford Fiesta asserts an air of confidence, stylishness and individuality. Its aggressively contoured bonnet and front fenders convey a broad-shouldered stance, and its face features a distinctive signature element – a bold lower trapezoidal grille that draws attention and reinforces the key Ford attribute of sporty driving dynamics.
Chrome and brightwork are used selectively, like jewellery accents, to convey elegance and sophistication.
Large and full of character directly from the Verve concepts, Fiesta’s bold headlamps become part of the shoulder shape and extend aggressively rearward almost as far as the stylishly raked A-pillars. The headlamp units incorporate all primary front lighting and signal functions – complemented on the lower bumper flanks by round, optimal aluminium lamps.
The all-new Ford Fiesta’s profile emphasises its new, cab-forward shape and an attitude of poised, sporty style. The sweeping roofline extends appealingly from the forward-stretching A-pillar rearward, framing the bold graphic of the Fiesta side window profile to create the sporty feeling of a coupé for the five-door body style.
The Fiesta side windows combine to create a unified profile window graphic – a key kinetic design element that communicates dynamism. An elegant accent of chrome frames the lower edge of the side glass and accentuates the signature Ford “kick-up” at its rear.
The all-new Fiesta also features the signature bold wheel arches that communicate the vehicle’s stance and dynamic capabilities, giving visual emphasis to new large-diameter alloy wheels.
Dynamic, kinetic design lines arc from side to side, uniting the upper corners of the tail lamps with the distinctive spoiler, which incorporates a slim LED stop lamp array. The sculpture of the body shapes is accented by elements like the new tail lamp – another Verve element that feels like it is an integral part of the body – and the V-shaped tailgate’s chamfered rear glass.
Full technical details of the new Fiesta will be released closer to the formal launching of the production model before the end of 2008.

China’s Lifan 320: More Mini Than Mini

David Yang — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 08:00:29 -0500

China’s Lifan will debut its new 320 minicar tomorrow at the Beijing Auto Show. As the first minicar the company produced, we can see from the pictures that the Chongqing-based carmaker went a bit overboard with the “Mini

Report: Fiat Talking to Chrysler About Production, Claims U.S. Will Get 500 Minicar

Seyth Miersma — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:00:26 -0500

Chrysler has been front and center in the news this week, announcing a product-sharing deal with Nissan, as well as looking at expanding its partnership with Chery Automotive in China.

Now reports from Germany’s Handelsblatt newspaper are claiming that Chrysler is in an advanced state of talks with Fiat, with an eye to teaming with the Italian automaker for possible production in the U.S. Fiat has been looking for idle capacity at auto plants as it plans Alfa Romeo’s American return, and has discussed cooperation with BMW or Detroit Three companies.

Meanwhile, Fiat chief technology officer Harald J. Wester revealed to Handelsblatt that the much-celebrated Fiat 500 minicar will be offered for sale in the U.S., though no time frame was given. Wester said that the American market 500s would be built either in the U.S. or at one of Fiat’s existing facilities in South America.

+ Motor Authority: Fiat in talks with Chrysler, confirms 500 for U.S.

If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com

New Government Estimates Say Gas Prices Could Hit $4 Per Gallon this Summer

Seyth Miersma — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 11:00:12 -0500

Retail gasoline prices have pulled back just a bit from record highs yesterday, but an updated government forecast tells of per gallon prices reaching $4 during this year’s summer driving season.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration released its monthly report on petroleum supplies and demand, which forecasts that monthly average pump prices will peak at about $3.60 per gallon during June. However prices are predicted to spike to as high as $4 a gallon at times. The revised forecast brings the government predictions more in line with the best guesses of many analysts who think that peak monthly averages may themselves hit $4 per gallon.

The EIA is also guessing that the high fuel prices will have a negative effect on consumer demand this summer. The agency is betting that gas consumption will fall by about 0.4 percent during the peak summer months and overall consumption will drop by 90,000 barrels per day for the year. Previous EIA estimates had consumption rising by 40,000 barrels a day.

+ Yahoo Finance: Gas Prices Slip, but Could Hit $4

If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com

New York 2008: 2009 Honda Fit Debuts in NYC

Seyth Miersma — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 08:00:18 -0500

Honda has revealed the updated version of its popular small car, the 2009 Fit, here at the New York Auto Show.

New for the 2009 model year in Honda’s tiniest U.S. entry is a satellite navigation system with voice-recognition software, an MP3-friendly USB port, and revised multi-positional rear chairs that the company calls “Magic Seats.

General Motors Planning Second Minicar Model for India

Seyth Miersma — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 11:00:15 -0500

A General Motors executive said today that the company has plans to build a second minicar for the Indian market. GM introduced its first main competitor in the Indian segment, the Chevrolet Spark (pictured above), in April of last year. President of GM Asia Pacific Nick Reilly told reporters at a press conference, "We believe there is space for us to have another entry in the minicar segment in India." While GM currently produces six Chevy models in India, including the Aveo hatchback, the automaker feels that the blooming Indian economy could support a further lift-back. Market leader Suzuki currently sells as many as five hatchbacks in Indian local markets. GM has said that the new model will not be positioned to compete directly with Tata’s $2,500 Nano minicar.

+ CNN Money: GM plans second tiny car for India

If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com

Tata Will Only Bring Nano to Europe with 4-Star Safety

Seyth Miersma — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 07:00:50 -0600

Executives from Indian automaker Tata have said that they will bring the Nano microcar to Europe, only if the car can achieve the highest possible safety rating.

Tata’s director of the Nano program, Girish Wagh, said, “We will only bring the Nano to Europe if it achieves a four-star rating in the Euro NCAP crash test.

‘08 Geneva: Mazda2 Hatchback Live Shots

Phil Floraday — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 09:30:00 -0600

Mazda is displaying a rather attractive three-door hatchback here in Geneva. We're excited to see the little '2 since the five-door car has done so well with sales and awards. The best part is the rumors of bringing the Mazda2 to U.S. shores. We already know the Ford Fiesta will eventually reach the U.S., and it rides on a Mazda2 platform, but we're genuine fans of Mazda's portfolio and would love the option of a smaller car with a little zoom-zoom in the DNA.

Would you rather have a Ford Fiesta hatchback or a Mazda2 hatchback? Let us know which car is more appealing to you in the comments.

‘08 Geneva: It’s a Party for Ford’s 2009 Fiesta

Evan McCausland — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 05:05:21 -0600

Not two hours into the press week for the Geneva Auto Show, and Ford's stand was already rocking with hordes of journalists crowded around the new Fiesta. We're not surprised - the production car, making its production debut here in Switzerland, is a more-than-attractive entry into the B-car segment.

Most of the Fiesta's form carries directly from the trilogy of Verve concepts, especially that of the three-door hatchback shown at last year's Frankfurt show. What is a surprise is the five-door hatch, which - although never shown in concept form - keeps most of the three-door's looks without any sacrifice of style.

The Fiesta launches in Europe later this year with both gasoline and diesel variants, with petrol motors including a 59- and 79-horsepower 1.25-liter I-4, a 90-horsepower 1.4-liter I-4, and a range-topping 1.6-liter four-banger, delivering 113 horsepower. Diesel offerings include 1.4- and 1.6-liter I-4 common-rail turbodiesels, rated at 67 and 89 horsepower, respectively. A five-speed manual is standard on all offerings, although a four-speed automatic is optional with the 1.4-liter gasoline motor.

Most of those power options won't be available for the North American Fiesta, which will also be sold primarily as a conventional sedan. Ford's reportedly investigating the viability of the hatches in the 'States, so tell us - what do you think of the production Fiesta - and do you want one in hatchback form?

FORD RELEASE

Ford of Europe is reinventing its small car range for a new generation of customers in 2008, starting with a stylish and exciting all-new Fiesta. The car makes its global debut in both three- and five-door hatchback bodystyles at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show.
Designed and developed in Europe for sale in Europe, Asia, South Africa, Australia and the Americas between 2008 and 2010, the new Fiesta is the first major product of Ford’s new global product development process. Its stylish and dynamic flair combines with all the traditional Ford small car strengths to create a confident, contemporary introduction to the next chapter of the Fiesta success story.
The new Fiesta opens another chapter in the story of the popular Ford small car that has sold more than 12 million units since its introduction in 1976. Charismatic and individual, the new model makes major strides in craftsmanship, quality of materials and product choice while continuing to represent Fiesta’s traditional strengths of practicality, value for money, agility and safety. It also brings a host of big-car features to the small-car segment for the first time.
New Fiesta clearly embodies the hallmarks of 'kineticdesign', which has so convincingly infused emotion into the core of the Ford range in Europe. The Geneva debut confirms that new Fiesta will bring the most appealing elements of Verve, a trio of concept cars shown recently around the world, to production reality.
It also ends speculation surrounding the name of Ford’s new-generation small car for global markets.
“This new car embodies the very essence of Fiesta – fun, vitality and emotion,

Combustion Three Ways: The Lotus Exige 270E Tri-fuel

Seyth Miersma — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 15:00:15 -0600

Lotus has announced that it will be bringing yet another version of its highly regarded Exige sports car to the Geneva Motor Show, this one serving as a test bed for sustainable, synthetic alcohol fuels.

The Lotus Exige 270E Tri-fuel is built to allow drivers the option of running any of three fuels, gasoline, bioethanol, or methanol. Among the many benefits of being run on alcohol-based fuels, Lotus points to the potential of harvesting atmospheric CO2 as a major step forward in sustainability, and carbon-neutral transportation. Though the company does admit that the infrastructure necessary for such production is a decade or more away.

The Tri-fuel also happens to be the most powerful road-going Exige ever, wringing 270 horsepower from its 1.8-liter supercharged engine, and managing a 0-60 sprint in just 3.9 seconds with a top speed of 158 mph.

Lotus Researches Cars Running On CO2 Exige 270E Tri-fuel is the next stage of Lotus Engineering’s long-term sustainable, synthetic alcohol researchLotus Engineering, the world renowned automotive consultancy division of Lotus, unveils its latest development towards carbon neutral road transport at the 78th Geneva International Motor Show. The Lotus Exige 270E Tri-fuel is the most powerful road version yet of the Exige (0-60 mph / 96 kph in 3.88 seconds, a top speed of 158 mph (255 km/h), 270 hp (201 kW / 273 PS at 8000 rpm) and it runs on any mixture of gasoline, bioethanol and methanol. Emerging technologies will allow alcohol fuels such as methanol, already a proven internal combustion fuel, to be made synthetically from CO2 extracted from the atmosphere.
An alcohol-based fuel derived renewably from atmospheric CO2 would allow society to transfer relatively easily to sustainable, carbon-neutral internal combustion. Lotus Engineering is researching the use of sustainable synthetic alcohols as potential future fuels, with technology available from Lotus for introduction in four to five years. However, the supply infrastructure investment from governments and fuel companies could take 15 to 20 years.
The Exige 270E Tri-fuel is part of Lotus’ research to understand the complex combustion process involved in running on mixtures of alcohol fuels and gasoline, which will be important for a successful transition from today’s fuels to the sustainable, synthetic fuels of the future.
This research is just one aspect of Lotus Engineering’s ground-breaking work on environmentally-friendly vehicles. It is involved with a number of electric vehicle projects, has successfully integrated hybrid technologies into vehicles such as its EVE demonstrator, and recently announced results on a collaboration with Continental Division Powertrain on the Low CO2 downsized three-cylinder engine. The research into sustainable alcohols is progressing at Lotus’ Hethel headquarters in Norfolk, UK and involves input from the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Alternative Fuel Symposium Series, the Low Carbon Vehicles Innovation Platform, developed by the Technology Strategy Board and direct discussions with the University of Sheffield.
Methanol (CH3OH) can be produced synthetically from CO2 and hydrogen. Ultimately, emerging processes to recover atmospheric CO2 will provide the required carbon that can entirely balance the CO2 emissions at the tailpipe that result from the internal combustion of synthetic methanol. The result is that a car running on synthetic methanol, such as the Exige 270E Tri-fuel would be environmentally neutral.
As well as being green, the great benefit of synthetic methanol is that it would use similar engines and fuel systems to those in current cars; and synthetic methanol can be stored, transported and retailed in much the same way as today’s liquid fuels such as gasoline and diesel.
Synthetic methanol also possesses properties better suited to internal combustion than today’s liquid fuels, giving improved performance and thermal efficiencies. And it is ideal for pressure-charging (turbocharging and supercharging) already being introduced by manufacturers to downsize engines in a bid to improve fuel consumption.
Lotus Engineering’s Lotus Exige 270E Tri-fuel technology demonstrator illustrates how easy it is for synthetic methanol to be embraced over time as a future fuel for road transport. The Exige 270E Tri-fuel, with its supercharged 2ZZ-GE VVTL-i engine, could be the forefather of a new generation of conventionally driven cars that have the potential to be environmentally-neutral.
Mike Kimberley, Chief Executive Officer of Group Lotus plc, explains: “Lotus is a world-class leader in research into a variety of alternative fuels; each has its merits and challenges and some options could be more easily implemented than others. But while motorists want to be green, we do not want to change the culture of total freedom for the owners, who will have an extreme reluctance to spend more at the pump, or to sacrifice the performance of their cars.
Mike Kimberley continues, “At present, the motor industry is seeking a route to reduce CO2 emissions just at the tailpipe; this focus is far too narrow. A sustainable alcohol such as synthetic methanol has the potential to reduce the overall CO2 footprint of internal combustion vehicles towards zero. Produced through CO2 recovered from the atmosphere and given a tax incentive, it immediately becomes a green, cheap and more desirable fuel. For those compelling reasons motorists, legislators and car manufacturers must switch to a sustainable alcohol like synthetic methanol.

Natural Gas Burning Volkswagen Passat EcoFuel to Bow in Geneva

Seyth Miersma — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 17:00:22 -0600

Of the multiple launches Volkswagen is planning for the Geneva Motor Show next week, one of the most interesting is a Passat Estate variant capable of running on both regular gasoline, and natural gas.

A founding member of the new VW “EcoFuel

Smart ForTwo Goes Nowhere Fast, and Not Because of Its Engine

Dustin P. Walsh — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 13:00:11 -0600

We all know that you’re not bombing down the freeway with great speed or acceleration in Daimler’s Smart ForTwo, but Peter Valdes-Dapena at CNN Money says it’s not the car that’ll slow you down. It’s the gawkers.

He said, “The problem is that every time you take it out, a mass of people appears with a lot of questions. Or they'll just stand in front of it to take their pictures.