Domestic Fuel

As gas prices continue to jump up at the pump, the future of electric vehicles is looking bright. The Volvo Group is working on improving electric vehicles and looking for more solutions for vehicles to operate on renewable energy. The company has proposed a future where trucks and buses and continuously supplied with electric power but without batteries. Rather, power lines are built into the surface of the road.

Mats Alaküla, Volvo Group’s expert on electric vehicles and professor at Lund University notes that a challenge is supplying a vehicle with electrical power when needed. “In city traffic, there are currently various solutions and we are researching many others. We have field tests in progress where our plug-in buses are equipped with a battery that can be charged quickly when the buses are at bus stops.”

However, Alaküla notes that using batteries to power trucks and buses traveling long distance will not work. These vehicles stop infrequently and would need so many batteries there would be no room for loads or passengers. This is why the company is searching for a solution to constantly provide power to a truck or bus from an external source through its participation in a large Swedish research project with the support of the Swedish Energy Agency.

The method currently being developed and tested by the Volvo Group, together with Alstom, entails two power lines built into the surface of the road along the entire length of the road. A current collector in contact with the power lines will be located on the truck. With this method, electric vehicles could be continuously supplied with power without carrying large batteries explains Alaküla. The power line will be built in sections and one section is only live as the truck passes.”
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A bill has been introduced in the Florida legislature that would repeal the state’s Renewable Fuel Standard Act.

Currently, the Florida law requires that all gasoline sold or offered for sale by a terminal supplier, importer, blender or wholesaler in Florida contain 9-10 percent ethanol, or other alternative fuel, by volume. Legislation to repeal that requirement was considered by the Florida House Regulatory Affairs Committee on Friday and Pensacola automotive technician and radio host Bobby Likis was there.

However, Likis was only was able to say that he opposed the bill before the hearing had to be ended for lawmakers to go to the floor. “I’ve answered over 100,000 questions live on air, many of which have addressed the ethanol issue with regard to engine damage,” said Likis, host of the syndicated Car Clinic Network. “I strongly oppose the bill.”

Likis, who is a strong advocate for ethanol, says he is prepared to do what he can to prevent the legislation from passing in Florida.

Also testifying against the bill was Patrick Ahlm with Alginol Biofuels, an industrial biotechnology company working towards the production of fuel from algae headquartered in southwest Florida. “We’ve raised $190 million since we were founded in 2006 by Florida residents,” said Ahlm. “Our focus right now is on operating our pilot scale facility in Ft. Myers.”

Alhm said they are looking toward a commercial facility. “Our technology does not require farm land, food crops or fresh water,” he said. “We respect the issues around mandates and traditional ethanol but when we go into the investment community, this sends a very bad signal about continuing to grow in Florida.”

Because the committee ran out of time, the bill sponsored in the Florida House by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Fort Walton Beach will be carried over to the next meeting.

Listen to the ethanol bill portion of Friday’s hearing: Florida hearing

Volkswagen (VW) has “powered up” the largest solar installation at an automotive manufacturing facility in the U.S. and the biggest solar installation in the state of Tennessee. The Volkswagen Chattanooga Solar Park is now part of the the company’s green auto plant and was the first in the world to receive the top LEED certification.The Volkswagen Chattanooga Solar Park occupies 33 acres, or half of the 66-acre land parcel adjacent to VW’s state-of-the-art manufacturing plant. The solar park contains 33,600 solar modules from JA Solar designed to produce 13.1 gigawatt hours of electricity per year.

The electricity produced from the solar park is expected to meet 12.5 percent of the energy needs of Volkswagen’s Chattanooga manufacturing plant during full production and 100 percent during non-production periods. The plant covers 1.9 million square feet and employs more than 3,000 people who manufacture the Volkswagen Passat sedan. For Volkswagen, the solar park in Chattanooga will rank as the automaker’s largest photovoltaic installation worldwide.

Frank Fischer, CEO and Chairman of Volkswagen Group of America, Chattanooga Operations LLC, said, “We are proud to power up the biggest solar park of any car manufacturer in North America today. The solar park,” he said, “is another proof point of Volkswagen’s worldwide commitment to environmental protection under its ‘Think Blue. Factory’ philosophy, a broadly focused initiative for all Volkswagen plants to achieve more efficient use of energy, materials and water and produce less waste and emissions.”
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Automotive service expert Bobby Likis nearly blew a gasket when he saw today that the AAA is calling for the sale of 15% ethanol blended fuel (E15) to be suspended “to protect motorists” from damaging their engines.

“To state that ethanol damages engines is a disservice to consumers…specifically to AAA members,” said Likis, who is the host of the syndicated Car Clinic Network and has been in the automotive service industry for over 40 years as technician, rear-engine dragster builder, and owner of an award-winning service shop. “The fact is there’s no proof that ethanol damages engines.”

Likis is a long time AAA member who also provides both of his out-of-state daughters with annual AAA road service cards and he speculates on what members might take away from the organization’s statements about ethanol. “Can you imagine a car owner reaching out to AAA in need of gas with the stipulation they would not accept ethanol-based fuel?” he questioned.

Likis says he is amazed when he hears people claim that ethanol ruins engines. “Technicians know that people ruin engines – neglect of ownership, lack of service, lack of following normal maintenance procedures,” said Likis, noting that car engines are perfectly capable of running on at least 15% ethanol. “Have been since 2001 and even cars prior to that, if the truth be known,” he added.

Listen to an interview with Likis about AAA statements: Car Clinic Host Bobby Likis

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Smith Electric Vehicles have announced that Smith will open an electric vehicle manufacturing facility in Chicago, creating hundreds of direct and indirect jobs. The company’s decision to locate a facility in the windy city was influenced by the Mayor’s voucher system created to accelerate the conversion from diesel to zero-emission, all-electric commercial fleet vehicles. In addition, the city, with a growing battery and electric vehicle industry, also offers some development incentive for Smith. Chicago will be Smith’s third location in the United States, joining their headquarters in Kansas City, Mo., and a manufacturing facility in New York City.

“I’m proud to welcome another growing company with a great mission to Chicago. Soon hundreds of Chicagoans will be able to put their skills to use providing businesses worldwide with high-quality, zero-emission, American-made vehicles,” said Mayor Emanuel. “Smith Electric Vehicles is an innovative company in a forward-looking, essential industry that is a central part of Chicago’s economic future.”

Smith is  a leading manufacturer of all-electric commercial vehicles, which are considered zero-emission and less expensive to own and operate when compared with traditional diesel trucks. The company produces trucks for multiple industries, including food & beverage, utility, telecommunications, retail, grocery, parcel and postal delivery, school transportation, military, and government. Smith’s customers include many of the world’s largest fleet operators, including PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay division, FedEx, Staples, TNT, Sainsbury’s, Coca-Cola, DHL, and the U.S. Military.

During the press event, the Chicago Department of Transportation announced a $15 million incentive program to encourage companies to convert their fleets to electric vehicles. Believed to be the first of its kind, the plan rewards fleets on an increasing scale for converting to EVs. The incentives will be in the form of vouchers to assist with conversion costs. Chicago is also considering additional incentives such as preferential loading jobs and decreased registration costs.

“A mass urban deployment of commercial electric vehicles is an important next step in catalyzing mainstream adoption,” noted Smith CEO Bryan Hansel. “Chicago’s location, commitment to adoption in municipal fleets, concentration of commercial vehicles, talented workforce and importance to the global business community make it a perfect choice to grow our company and this industry.  The leadership being shown with the mayor’s CDOT voucher program is a prime example of how Chicago is creating the template for a new energy city.”

Ethanol helped to power events held as part of Automotive Service and Repair Week (ASRW) in New Orleans, October 11-13 at the Morial Convention Center.

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) teamed up with Bobby Likis Car Clinic Network and Ricardo on the trade show floor of the Congress of Automotive Repair and Service (CARS) and during a Myth Busters panel at the National Automotive Service Task Force meeting. The Ricardo EBDI (Extreme Boost Direct Injection) engine was on display in a GMC Sierra and Car Clinic Network television and radio programs were broadcast live from the event.

This edition of “The Ethanol Report” features comments from Automotive Service Association president Ron Pyle, RFA Director of Regulatory Affairs Kelly Davis, Ricardo Chief Engineer Powertrain Controls Dr. Matti Vint, and automotive talk show host Bobby Likis.

Listen to or download the Ethanol Report here: Ethanol Report from CARS

Subscribe to “The Ethanol Report” with this link.

CARS Event Photo Album

It’s called the EBDI – Extreme Boost Direct Injection – and it may be the “little engine that could” revolutionize the automotive world to produce cars that get drastically improved fuel mileage while optimizing the higher octane properties of ethanol.

The engine was developed by Ricardo, Inc., and it was on display for automotive mechanics and technicians at the 2012 Congress of Automotive Service and Repair last week in New Orleans. Attendees were able to see the engine in model form and in a GMC Sierra testbed. Ricardo representatives, including Chris Talware (left) and Dr. Matti Vint, were on hand to talk with those at the event and participate in live broadcasts of the Bobby Likis Car Clinic Network from the trade show floor.

Vint says they designed the engine to run efficiently on straight gasoline up to 85% ethanol. “We got good savings with both E-0 as well as E-85, so we designed engines to be flex fuel capable,” said Vint, explaining how they used a systems approach that adjusted a number of variables to increase the “sweet spot” area of the engine.

“The net result is we’ve gotten equivalent performance of a 6.7 liter diesel engine that is in the Sierra truck with a 3.2 liter gasoline engine,” said Talware. That enables what they call “extreme downsizing” that allows it to be scalable to perform in a variety of applications. “The same technology could be applied to a tourist size vehicle, with a 1.4 liter engine,” said Vint. It’s also scalable in terms of market, whether it’s agricultural, light duty trucks or passenger vehicles.

Listen to an interview with Talware and Vint here: Ricardo's Chris Talware and Matti Vint

Watch Dr. Vint explain more about the engine and how it optimizes ethanol below.

CARS Event Photo Album

A panel consisting of an automotive technician, an automotive engineer and an ethanol industry representative had the opportunity to bust some myths about ethanol at the National Automotive Service Task Force meeting in New Orleans on Saturday.

Renewable Fuels Association Director of Regulatory Affairs Kelly Davis, Ricardo Chief Engineer for powertrain controls Dr. Matti Vint, and automotive talk show host/service center owner Bobby Likis each addressed one myth about ethanol related to the vehicle industry.

Vint busted the myth that ethanol ruins engine performance by detailing the benefits of the fuel’s higher octane rating, which is a measure of its anti-knock properties. “The higher octane, the higher the cylinder pressure you can operate without causing destructive damage to the engine,” he said. “So high octane is good for extracting the maximum performance of the engine and improving the efficiency.” He explained how designing engines like the Ricardo EBDI (Extreme Boost Direct Injection) engine will better utilize ethanol’s higher octane rating.

Likis busted the myth that ethanol poses repair and service problems. “In the 41 years I’ve been in the automotive service business, I’ve never had a single engine fail as a result of ethanol,” he said, noting that engines have been designed to run on E10 for the past 30 years.

Finally, Davis busted the myth that consumers don’t want choice at the pump. “A recent survey complete by American Viewpoint showed 61% were in favor of replacing imported fossil fuel dependency with renewable fuels like ethanol,” Davis said, pointing out that the approval of E15 allows more options for model year 2001 and newer vehicles.

Listen to the panel presentations here: Ethanol Myth Busters Panel

Watch Dr. Matti Vint’s presentation below:


CARS Event Photo Album

Automotive talk show host and Pensacola service center owner Bobby Likis uses a tag line that plays on his last name – “Like us? You’ll love us!” And Likis doesn’t just like ethanol, he loves it and he lives it.

It is his passion for the domestic renewable fuel that led to his recent partnership with the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), not the other way around. That passion was clearly on display this past week during Automotive Service & Repair Week in New Orleans, where Likis took his Car Clinic Network television and radio programming on the road. It was his idea to bring the facts about ethanol to automotive mechanics and technicians at the event and to spotlight new engine technology to optimize ethanol by Ricardo, Inc.

Likis offered a live feed of events at the Congress of Automotive Repair and Service trade show on Watch Bobby Live where he interviewed guests Thursday and Friday last week leading up to his regularly scheduled live program on Saturday from 10 am to noon Eastern. The program on October 13 featured RFA’s Kelly Davis as well as engineers from Ricardo.

I put together a little five minute highlight video of the show below and you can find more on the Watch Bobby Live page.

CARS Event Photo Album

The annual Congress of Automotive Repair and Service (CARS) is part of Automotive Service and Repair Week (ASRW), which is an umbrella for several different related organizations to meet, network and learn about what’s new in the industry.

The whole event is coordinated through the Automotive Service Association (ASA) and president Ron Pyle says having the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) as part of it this year was a great addition. “People understand the reality that we’re going to be dealing with alternative fuels and different technologies,” said Pyle. “Our organization really represents the top echelon of the shops in America today … they’ve very interested in this kind of content.”

Pyle said it was also the first time that Bobby Likis Car Clinic was at the event broadcasting live from the trade show. “Bobby is a long time Automotive Service Association member,” said Pyle. “He spent quite a bit of time with me earlier this year talking about the myths (about ethanol) that he’s going to bust while he’s here and on the show floor they’ve been doing that every day.”

Ricardo engineering rounded out the ethanol education team at the event showing new engine technology under development that can optimize the high octane properties of ethanol as the industry moves toward increased fuel efficiency. “The people that are ready for that revolution will absolutely have a competitive edge,” Pyle said.

Listen to my interview with Ron Pyle here: Automotive Service Association president Ron Pyle

CARS Event Photo Album

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) exhibit at the Congress of Automotive Repair and Service (CARS) in New Orleans this past week featured new engine technology developed by Ricardo, Inc. that has the ability to optimize the performance of ethanol in fuel.

Ricardo Chief Engineer for Innovations and Chemical Technology John Kasab was one of the company representatives who presented information at the exhibit and on the Bobby Likis Car Clinic Network broadcasts from the show. During his presentation at the booth, Kasab talked about Ricardo’s history in the automotive realm and how “everything old is new again” when it comes to alternative fuels. “Three key automotive inventors from about a century ago – Henry Ford with Ford Motor Company, Charles Kettering with General Motors and Harry Ricardo our founder – all anticipated depletion of petroleum reserves,” said Kasab. “Henry Ford was thinking about making (fuel) from crops that will help sustain rural economies.” Kettering was thinking about saving the auto industry from oil shortages and Ricardo’s interest was in energy security, especially since he was British, and Kasab noted that all of them also saw the potential of ethanol for anti-knock properties.

Kasab says federal and state regulations calling for dramatically increased fuel economy for vehicles, as well as the Renewable Fuel Standard requiring more alternative fuel use, means a great need for engines optimized to run on fuels other than gasoline in the future. “Over the next decade, we’re going to see a lot of new technology coming into internal combustion engines to significantly improve their efficiency,” he said. “The technologies that are going to facilitate this efficiency improvement will have a natural thirst for higher octane and we see increased ethanol content in the fuel as part of the pathway toward facilitating better engine performance.”

To that end, Ricardo developed the EBDI – Extreme Boost Direct Injection Engine – which we will learn more about from other members of the Ricardo team who attended the CARS event.

Listen to Kasab’s presentation here: Ricardo's John Kasab at CARS

See photos from the CARS event with Ricardo, RFA and Bobby Likis.

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFS), the Bobby Likis Car Clinic Network and Ricardo Engineering have teamed up to drive home the message of ethanol as the future for fuel in America at the Congress for Automotive Repair and Service expo in New Orleans.

RFA Director of Regulatory Affairs Kelly Davis has been representing the ethanol industry at the event, talking with car mechanics and technicians and being interviewed by Bobby Likis for his Car Clinic Network television show. Davis just started with RFA on September 1, but she is no stranger to the ethanol industry. “My background’s 30 years in corn processing,” she said. “I’ve actually been producing ethanol since 1981.”

Listen to an interview with Davis: Kelly Davis Interview

Davis has been talking up ethanol at the CARS expo and finding that mechanics have some of the same general misconceptions the industry has fought for 30 years and that is why they wanted to speak to this audience. “A mechanic is a very trusted person with your car,” she said. “We’re here to educate them.”

She, Likis and Ricardo representatives will be addressing a targeted group on Saturday with a panel devoted to “busting myths” about ethanol. Likis is global casting his Car Clinic Network program live from the expo on Saturday, October 12, from 10 am to 12 noon Eastern time.

Listen to Bobby interviewing Kelly on the expo floor Friday here: Bobby Likis Live with RFA's Kelly Davis

Since ethanol is powering cars across the country these days, it’s about time it had a place at the premier annual event dedicated specifically to automotive service and repair professionals, which is appropriately called CARS – the Congress of Automotive Repair and Service.

This edition of “The Ethanol Report” features comments from Bobby Likis, host of the Car Clinic Network, and Renewable Fuels Association Director of Market Development Robert White on ethanol’s role in the upcoming CARS event that will be held October 11-13 at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. The event will also feature auto engineering firm Ricardo and the work they are doing with ethanol and high octane engines.

Domestic Fuel will be attending that event to get feedback from the mechanics and technicians on what they learn about ethanol at the show.

Listen to or download the Ethanol Report here: Ethanol Report on CARS

Subscribe to “The Ethanol Report” with this link.

The Congress of Automotive Repair and Service, with the clever acronym of CARS, coming up next week in New Orleans is boasting more mechanical attendees, vendors and attractions than in recent years – including a special spotlight for ethanol.

CARS is an event held during Automotive Service & Repair Week (ASRW) dedicated specifically to mechanical service and repair professionals and among the featured exhibitors in the CARS section of the International Autobody Congress & Exposition (NACE) this year is the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA).

Radio talk show host Bobby Likis will broadcast his nationally syndicated Car Clinic show live from the show floor Saturday, Oct. 13, in addition to numerous interviews that will be conducted live from his booth during the Expo. “CARS is ‘the’ all-call for the automotive service industry, so we’re packing up the Car Clinic show trailer to shine a bright spotlight on the event,” says Likis. “And, we’re bringing with us the Renewable Fuels Association – the trade association for the U.S. ethanol industry – and Ricardo Engineering’s Extreme Boost Direct Injection (EBDI) engine, optimized for the high-octane properties of ethanol. Technology will rock and roll!”

RFA announced a partnership with Likis earlier this year, which RFA Director of Market Development Robert White says has been very beneficial for the ethanol industry. “The group that we need to educate the most is service mechanics, the auto technicians, because that’s who people trust,” said White. “The radio program with Bobby Likis aired across the country helps put a trusted name behind the efforts of the ethanol industry.”

White says RFA will have general session time and a large display in the CARS trade show for automotive technicians and service professionals on hand “to walk them through what ethanol actually does to an engine.”

The 2012 ASRW/NACE/CARS Expo will take place October 11-13 at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.

Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), has slammed ethanol saying it opposes the use of E15 based on scientific evidence that it causes corrosion with incompatible parts. They are one of many organizations that have brought a lawsuit against the use of E15 that also included manufacturers of cars, boats and power equipment. The organization says ethanol increases water formation that can create formic acid and corrode metals plastics and rubber.

The court has ruled in favor of E15 and now SEMA is spearheading a campaign targeted at U.S. Congress calling for them to enact legislation to ban the sale of E15.

In response, Bobby Likis, who is best known for his national radio program Car Clinic, has come out in support of ethanol (scroll down to see his response) the most researched fuel in the history of America. Likis writes that it is as if “…SEMA is more interested in sustaining old-think…outdated technologies” and “continued dependence on foreign oil.”

He continues to say that old car parts can be updated and people are smart enough to know that E15 is only approved for cars manufactured after 2001. He also put out a call to action asking consumers to let their representative know they support choice at the pump and to defeat federal legislation (HR 3199) that would ban the sale of E15.