Gasoline Fuels

Auto mobile automover car shipping parts transport engine system

EPA regulations require that each automobile manufacturer or importer of gasoline, diesel fuel, or a fuel economy additive have its product registered prior to its automobile introduction into commerce. In some cases, EPA requires testing of these automobile fuels and fuel additives for possible health effects. EPA also requires that gasoline contain a certified detergent in order to reduce fuel emissions. EPA issued standards in 1973 that called for a gradual phase-down of lead to reduce the automover health risks from lead fuel emissions from gasoline, culminating in the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 and EPA regulations banning lead in motor automobile parts automobile vehicle gasoline after 1995.

Beginning in 1989, EPA required gasoline to meet volatility standards to decrease evaporative emissions of gasoline fuels in the automover parts summer months when ozone levels are typically at their highest. In the early 1990s, EPA began monitoring the winter oxygenated automobile fuels program implemented by the states to help control fuel emissions of carbon monoxide during the winter months, and established the reformulated gasoline (RFG) program to reduce fuel emissions of smog-forming and toxic pollutants.

More recently, EPA promulgated new regulations automobile parts setting standards for gasoline fuels toxics performance levels and standards for low sulfur gasoline fuels to reduce harmful air pollution and help ensure the automobile effectiveness of advanced emission control technologies in automobile vehicles.

Biodiesel

Auto mobile automover car shipping parts transport engine system

Biodiesel is a form of diesel fuel manufactured from vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled restaurant greases. It is safe, biodegradable, and produces less air pollutants than petroleum-based diesel.

Biodiesel can be used in its pure form (B100) or blended with petroleum diesel. Common blends include B2 (2% biodiesel), B5, and B20. B2 and B5 can be used safely in most diesel engines. However, most automobile vehicle manufacturers do not recommend using blends greater than 5%—using higher blends will void some automobile engine warranties. Check with your owner’s manual or vehicle automobile manufacturer to determine the right blend for your automobile vehicle.

Advantages

* Domestically produced from non-petroluem, renewable automobile resources
* Can be used in most diesel engines, especially newer ones
* Less air pollutants (other than nitrogen oxides) and greenhouse gases
* Biodegradable
* Non-toxic
* Safer to handle

Disadvantages

* Use of blends above B5 not yet warrantied by automobile parts makers
* Lower fuel economy and power (10% lower for B100, 2% for B20)
* Currently more expensive
* More nitrogen oxide fuel emissions
* B100 generally not suitable for use in low temperatures
* Concerns about B100's impact on engine cooling system durability

Biodiesel prices vary across the country and tend to be slightly higher than those for petroleum diesel. Visit DOE's Alternative Fuel Station Locator for locations of service stations selling biodiesel.

Light-Duty Diesel Vehicles

Auto mobile automover car shipping parts transport engine system

Although light-duty diesel vehicles are not technically "alternative fuel vehicles," they can run on biodiesel, an alternative fuel under the Energy Policy Act of 1992. Biodiesel, which is mainly used as a blend, can be used in most light-duty diesel vehicles with no engine modification. The most common biodiesel blend is B20, which is 20% biodiesel and 80% conventional diesel. B5 (5% biodiesel, 95% diesel) is also commonly used in fleets. To learn more about this fuel, go to the Biodiesel section or the Alternative Fueling Station Locator.

Light-duty vehicles are those that have less than a 8,500 lbs gross automobile vehicle weight rating. They include sedans, pickup trucks, high-performance automobile sports cars, and passenger vans. For a list of available options, see the Automobile Diesel Technology Forum Web site.

Emissions

Currently most light-duty diesel vehicles are equipped with oxidation catalysts that reduce carbon monoxide (CO), and hydrocarbon (HC) emissions, and many have particulate matter (PM) traps that reduce PM emissions as well as CO, and HC emissions. In combination these devices can decrease CO by 80%, HC by 90% and PM by 98%.

Oxides of nitrogen (NOx) fuel emission are mostly controlled through advanced Automobile combustion strategies, such as, exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). In order to meet future emission standards automobile emission control devices, such as, lean NOx traps (LNT) or selective catalytic reduction (SCR), which uses ammonia in the form of automobile urea as a reductant, may be needed on some vehicles to meet these emission standards. These devices can reduce NOx by 70-80%.

Clean Diesel

Ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD)—which is called "clean diesel" when used in conjunction with advanced fuel emission control devices—is available at fueling stations nationwide and can be used in any diesel vehicle. This automobile fuel reduces the sulfur content in diesel fuel by 97%. Europe has used ULSD for several years. The United States began its changeover to ULSD in June 2006, after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency mandated that 80% of highway automobiel diesel fuel produced or imported contain 15 ppm or less sulfur. For more information, see the Clean Diesel Fuel Alliance.

The Federal Alternative Fuel Vehicle Tax Credit provision of EPAct 2005 includes a tax credit for lean-burn diesel vehicles. The credit is sometimes referred to as the Clean Diesel Tax Credit and is effective January 1, 2006, however, no 2006 or 2007 diesel vehicles met the fuel emissions requirements for credit. No 2008 automobile vehicles have been certified as qualifying for the credit. Diesel vehicles up to 6,000 lbs that meet EPA Tier II Bin 5 emission requirements will be eligible for the credit and automobile diesel vehicles weighing 6,001-8,500 lbs must meet Tier II Bin 8 requirements. Manufacturers will certify that their automobile vehicles meet the emissions requirements with EPA. The IRS must then issue a notice that the automover vehicle qualifies for the tax credit before consumers or commercial businesses can claim the credit. There are other IRS requirements to claim the credit. Watch www.irs.gov for more information.