The Department of Energy has released a study that highlights the benefits of using high octane mid-ethanol blends.
The “Summary of High Octane, Mid-Level Ethanol Blends Study,” a scientific analysis which showed the numerous benefits of using high octane mid-level ethanol blends in future optimized engines, was recently released by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge, Argonne and National Renewable Energy Laboratories.
Some of the benefits of these blends include: increased vehicle efficiency, increased acceleration and significant reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In particular, these mid-level blends such as E25 and E40 have significantly more octane which allows automakers to manufacture more efficient engines without compromising performance, ultimately saving consumers at the pump as well as further reducing GHG emissions.
In response, Growth Energy director of regulatory affairs, Chris Bliley issued the following statement:
“This report reinforces what consumers know today – more ethanol means more consumer savings at the pump and less pollutants in the air we breathe. I am pleased that this report recognizes and confirms what we’ve said for a number of years – automakers can take advantage of ethanol’s high octane properties to achieve the administration’s ambitious climate goals. As the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the California Air Resources Board undertake their mid-term review, they should appropriately recognize the ability of high-octane, mid-level ethanol blends to meet the future greenhouse gas and fuel economy standards.”
Among the report’s conclusions:
“The experimental and analytical results of this study considered together show that high octane fuels (HOF), specifically mid-level ethanol blends (E25-E40), could offer significant benefits for the U.S. These benefits include an improvement in vehicle fuel efficiency in vehicles designed and dedicated to use the increased octane…Furthermore, dedicated HOF vehicles would provide lower well-to-wheel GHG emissions from a combination of improved vehicle efficiency and increased use of ethanol.”