Higher ethanol blends are on federal agenda

The latest federal energy act, passed last December, requires more ethanol to be produced than the United States could consume even if all cars on the road used E10 (a 10-percent ethanol blend sold in most urban areas), and the six-million or so flexible-fuel vehicles (FFVs) in the country actually ran on E85 (85-percent ethanol). In reality, very few FFVs use E85, because it is not available in most areas. And it’s more expensive than gasoline. (We reported on this in “Ethanol - the challenges with too much of a good thing.”)

This week, the federal government planted another stake in the ground on its way to building up the ethanol infrastructure to match ethanol production mandates. The Energy Department and USDA released its Action Plan (PDF) to meet the expanded production, distribution, and sales targets in the December 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act. The biggest development is a stated policy to increase the use of so-called “intermediate blends” of ethanol, such as E20 and E30 (20 percent ethanol/80 percent gasoline and 30 percent ethanol/70 percent gasoline, respectively). Since ethanol contains less energy than gasoline, this is likely to result in lower fuel economy for all cars running on E20 and E30.

Other targets include:
•    Producing new machinery to harvest new materials to make cellulosic ethanol.
•    Research and development to reduce the costs of producing ethanol from non-food products.
•    Considering the effects of increased production of biofuels on food supplies and animal feed.
•    Studying and building out the ethanol distribution network, including analyzing the feasibility of building dedicated ethanol pipelines from the Midwest to the East and West coasts.
•    Studying the health effects of increased ethanol use, including air, water, and soil quality.

These are only some of the problems we have found with ethanol. Despite its lower fuel economy, automakers can receive fuel economy credits for building FFVs. Therefore, most FFVs are large vehicles that get poor fuel economy even on gasoline, and worse fuel economy on E85. So, ironically, fuel economy credits may be increasing overall petroleum consumption in the U.S. Those fuel economy credits are scheduled to phase out 10 years from now in 2019.

As the road to widespread ethanol usage continues to be paved, we will continue to report here on the latest developments.

—Eric Evarts

Learn more about alternative fuels in our guide to driving green .

Future of the Car: Honda FCX Clarity

Last May, Senior Engineer Gabe Shenhar and I drove a Honda FCX concept car, gaining an early impression of this fuel-cell-powered sedan. I got behind the wheel at the recent Consumer Reports Future of the Car event and drove the production model at modest speeds around the Auto Test Center grounds. 

The production car, now called the FCX Clarity, is available to select customers in Southern California for lease and costs $600 a month. So far, Honda has delivered just a handful of them, though it has announced plans to move approximately 200 to customers in the first three years of production.

The FCX Clarity uses a 100 kW fuel cell mounted vertically like a small suitcase between the front seats. A fuel cell – once known as a chemical battery – makes electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen. It produces no pollution; slight water vapor comes from the tailpipe.

A 5,000-psi hydrogen tank filled with 4 kg of hydrogen gives it a range of more than 260 miles, according to Honda. Like other modern fuel-cell cars, it also uses a lithium-ion battery to store excess energy and provide short bursts of acceleration. Unlike other prototype fuel-cell cars we have driven, such as the Nissan X-Trail, the FCX Clarity emits a high-pitched electric whine while accelerating. 

As we wrote in a previous blog:
“This midsized sedan feels remarkably normal -- in a good way. The car gathers acceleration very promptly and quietly. The electric motor's immediate torque is felt right off the line. The electric motor whines on its way to highway speeds, but sounds quieter than most piston-engine cars. It sounds like a muted, distant hair dryer, with no traditional gas engine and or exhaust sounds.”

Some of the main challenges of fuel cells are cost, durability, and the car’s range. While other automakers are moving toward 10,000-psi fuel tanks to increase the amount of hydrogen on-board and increase range, Honda has addressed range by improving the fuel efficiency of the car.

The company is still working on cost, but says the fuel-cell system in the FCX Clarity costs half of what the one in its previous FCX fuel cell vehicle cost. Fuel cell durability issues are reduced by leasing the vehicles, rather than selling them to customers.

The car itself is impressive, but, in our opinion, costs too much. Currently, each car is estimated to cost about half a million dollars. And without subsidies, hydrogen costs more than twice as much as gasoline today.

Plus, just obtaining the hydrogen is a problem. It either comes from natural gas or from electricity, a process that consumes more energy than the hydrogen provides.

As good as the FCX Clarity is, it will still be many years before hydrogen is a mainstream fuel. Consider the FCX Clarity a car of tomorrow.

—Eric Evarts

High-performance green machine: Corvette C6.R

Among the green machines at the Consumer Reports Auto Test Center today, the Chevrolet Corvette C6.R looks like it crashed the party. Lurking under cover of the big-top tent, surrounded by fuel-sipping hybrids, quieter-than-you’d-think diesels, ultra-expensive fuel-cell vehicles and other alternative takes on mainstream transportation, this ultimate Corvette provides a stark contrast to the electrified cars of tomorrow in attendance.

Part of a green initiative, Corvette Racing is using renewable E85 ethanol in the 2008 American Le Mans Series. Last year, the teams used E10. Through the 12-race series, Chevrolet wants to prove the viability of the fuel, and certainly high-stakes motor sports will raise ethanol awareness.

Among other things, the 590-horsepower C6.R proves that being green doesn’t mean boring. And sadly, there were no hot laps in the C6.R today in the rain.

—Jeff Bartlett

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