Wednesday 15 December 2010

Ethanol Pt.2: RE85 and cold-start

Indeed, the future of ethanol looks increasingly bright.

Here in Sweden there have been reports on cold-start problems with ethanol - this is why gasoline is a part of the mix that is the E85 fuel in Sweden in the first place. However, the new RE85 ethanol fuel (by ST1, made from biowaste, concept is called "Etanolix") does not have any gasoline; instead, it has components that actually solve cold-start issues. This makes ethanol a much more usable in cold climates. Its called "cold-optimization".

Tests have been made by VTT in Finland all the way to -25 celsius. The results of this TransEco-programme will be used by CEN (European Committee for Standardization).

The long goodbye to the era of fossil-based energy has begun.