British Firm Demos Scalable Process For Creating Hydrocarbon Fuels Solely From Air and Water

Like so many other things once thought impossible, now making consistent and scalable fuel out of just air and water has become a reality - with huge potential for initially the automotive and then other industries.

Among those at the forefront of this new technology is Air Fuel Synthesis (AFS), a British firm which recently demonstrated a small scale prototype at a carbon capture event held by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (MechE).

AFS is currently demonstrating a five liter-a-day small scale, electricity-powered prototype unit that electrolyzes water to make hydrogen that reacts with carbon dioxide to make hydrocarbon fuels.

The company says that, “Any fuel or crude oil-based material can ultimately also be made from synthetic hydrocarbons produced by the AFS process … this includes methanol, gasoline, diesel, lubricants, and waxes as well as plastics and building materials, some of which have other substitutes, but few as useful and versatile as hydrocarbon base”

AFS expects that “the first commercial AFS plant will produce high-spec fuels for blending into motorsport applications” where the company finds the demand for carbon-reduction is particularly strong.

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DOE Brings Online 2013 Fuel Economy Guide Providing Millage Data Across Vehicle Models

The 2013 Fuel Economy Guide has come online as a collaborative consumer information effort developed between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Graphic courtesy of blog.theautopartsshop.com.

The guide is a user-friendly website designed for both shoppers and owners to find information about a multitude of vehicles across models and technologies, including best and worst gas millage, maintenance tips, and tax credits on hybrids, electrics, alternative fuel vehicles, and diesel vehicles.

The platform has multiple menus on fuel efficiency, including the successive list of the 2013 Most Fuel Efficient Cars by EPA Size Class (including electric vehicles) & the 2013 Least Fuel Efficient Cars.

On the top of the Most Fuel Efficient list is the 2013 smart fortwo electric drive convertible, Automatic (A1), with a 122 MPGe city, a 93 MPGe highway, and a 107 MPGe combined, with a $0.96 cost to drive 25 miles.

The electric vehicles are measured in MPGe with 33.7 kW-hrs = 1 gallon of gasoline.

For the Least Fuel Efficient, the 2013 Bugatti Veyron, 8.0 L, 16 cyl, Automatic (AM-S7), received top honors. The Veyron performed at a 8 mpg city, a 15 mpg highway, and a 10 mpg combined, with a $9.18 cost to drive 25 miles.

Another noteworthy list on the site is the Top Ten EPA-Rated Fuel Sippers (2013), which includes electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. The vehicles are ranked by their combined rating (weighted by 55 percent and 45 percent highway).

Receiving the top rating on the Top Ten Fuel Sipper list is the 2013 Scion iQ EV (Automatic) with a 138 MPGe city, a 105 MPGe, and a 121 MPGe combined.

Besides the best and worst in fuel economy another great aspect of the web platform is the Top Ten Misconceptions About Fuel Economy, with the top misconception being that, “You have to drive a small car to get good fuel economy.”

The DOE finds that, “Advanced technologies like hybrid drivetrains, diesel engines, direct fuel injection, turbocharging, advanced transmissions, low rolling resistance, tires, and aerodynamic designs are allowing standard-sized vehicles to be very fuel efficient.

“For the 2013 model year, about half of the top ten most efficient vehicles are midsized or large cars and wagons.”

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Commercial Hybrid Vans Reach 20% Higher Fuel Savings Than Conventionals, Says Energy Report

As part of a multi-year research project to evaluate and improve alternative fuel technologies in the commercial sector, the U.S. Energy Department in cooperation with the United Parcel Service (UPS) just published a real-world performance study of the company’s hybrid electric delivery vans with impressive double-digit results.

UPS Hybrid Electric Vehicle. Photo courtesy of worktruckonline.com.

The performance study was conducted by a team from the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), which collected and analyzed in-service fuel economy maintenance, and other vehicle performance data from 11 hybrid and 11 conventional step vans operated by UPS in Minneapolis.

“During the on-road portion of our study, the hybrid vans demonstrated a 13 to 20 percent higher fuel economy than the conventional vans, and up to a 45 percent improvement in ton-miles-per-gallon” said Michael Lammert, NREL project engineer, adding that this wide range in fuel economy was dependent on the drive cycle.

The data collection began in early 2010, culminating in a 18-month evaluation study using 11 model year (MY) 2010 Freightliner P100 hybrid step delivery vans and 11 MY 2010 Freightliner P100 conventional step delivery vans on both urban and highway routes. The two groups switched assignments during the study to provide a more balanced review of the vehicles performance.

Regarding the Minneapolis facility where the evaluations were conducted, the study reported that:

It was not necessary to modify the Minneapolis facility in any way to implement the hybrid vehicles into the fleet.

Drivers were given training on the operation of the hybrids, but no restrictions or special accommodations were made for their use; however, UPS did assign the hybrid vans to urban routes rather than rural routes to make the best use of the hybrid drive train.

The hybrid vans featured hybrid propulsion systems, including: 44 kilowatt electric motors, lithium ion batteries, and regenerative brakes that capture energy normally lost during braking to power the electric motor.

In terms of fueling, the Minneapolis facility has on-site fueling, and the vehicles were fueled by the drivers as needed, using an internal fuel card system. The drivers then logged their fueling events on their electronic tablets, and the records were uploaded to a central database.

For fuel performance, the study found that overall the hybrids demonstrated a greater advantage on the more urban, low speed, high stops-per-mile routes, and a lower advantage on the longer highway routes with less dense delivery zones.

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Ford Expanding Fuel Saving Hybrid Technology To Conventional Vehicles

2011 Ford Fusion Hybrid. Photo courtesy of caremycars.com.

If you’re like most people, you aren’t very comfortable with change, so if you’ve driven a conventional vehicle your whole life, you might not be quite ready to take the leap into a hybrid or electric.

Getting use to new technologies can be a bit intimidating, but the good news is that some of that hybrid fuel efficiency will soon be coming to conventional vehicles, and it won’t require you to change your driving habits at all.

Ford is working on adapting one of its popular gas saving feature from its hybrids to its conventional models. It’s a feature that automatically shuts off the engine when you hold down the brake while you’re stopped and automatically starts it again when you take your foot off the brake.

In the United States, the feature currently exists in the Ford Fusion Hybrid and Ford Escape Hybrid. The global rollout of its “auto start-stop” system is already underway in Europe. The system is designed to work on both gasoline and diesel engines, and is standard on the Ford Ka and Mondeo.

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U.S. National Policy Proposed to Lower Trucking Industry Fuel Use and Greenhouse Emissions

This year UPS added 200 new hybrids to its fleet. Photo by roadtransport.com.

Radical changes are speeding toward the auto industry as regulators feel an increasing push from the Obama administration to reduce oil consumption and lower greenhouse gases. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have just proposed a new initiative called the Heavy Duty National Program, geared to reducing the fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of medium and heavy duty vehicles, such as large pickup trucks, vans, semi-trucks, as well as all types and sizes of work trucks and buses.

The agencies estimate that the combined proposed standards have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 250 million metric tons and save approximately 500 million barrels of oil over the life of vehicles sold from 2014 to 2018.

“The new rules are expected to save truckers more than $35 billion in net benefits. Whether you’re an independent contractor who relies on a pickup truck or an independent operator of a full size semi, shrinking fuel costs will mean more money in your pocket,” said Ray LaHood, secretary of transportation.

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