EAST BAY CLEAN CITIES COALITION
Ethanol Overview
Date
Clean Cities / 1
Richard Battersby
Director, East Bay Clean Cities Coalition
About Clean Cities
Mission
To advance the energy, economic, and environmental security of the United States by
supporting local decisions to adopt practices that reduce the use of petroleum in the
transportation sector
Goal
Reduce petroleum use by 2.5 billion gallons per year by 2020
• Replacement
• Reduction
• Elimination
Accomplishments
Eliminate
• Displaced nearly 3 billion gallons of petroleum since 1993
• Put more than 775,000 alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) on the road
• Installed more than 6,600 alternative fueling stations
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About Clean Cities
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Ethanol Basics
• Renewable fuel produced from
plant materials (biomass)
• Same chemical compound in
alcoholic beverages (C2H5OH)
• Comes from starchy
feedstocks (corn, sugar cane,
sugar beets) and cellulosic
feedstocks (yard waste,
grasses, poplars)
• Blended at low levels into 80%
of gasoline sold in the United
States
• Increasingly available as E85,
for use in flex fuel vehicles
• High-octane fuel
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Basics: Blends
E10
• Contains 10% ethanol, 90% gasoline
• Most common blend in U.S.
• EPA: “Substantially similar” to gasoline
in all vehicles
E15
• Contains 15% ethanol, 85% gasoline
• EPA: “Substantially similar” to gasoline
in MY2001 and newer vehicles
E85
• Contains 85% ethanol, 15% gasoline
• Alternative fuel under Energy Policy
Act of 1992
• Used in flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs)
• Available in most states
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Basics: Blends
Intermediate Blends
• E20, E30, E50, etc.
• Only for FFVs
Blender Pumps
• Mix E10 with E85 to
create intermediate
blends
• Provide flexibility for
future changes in
regulations
• Allow for choice, based
on prices and
performance
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Basics: Production
Ethanol from Starch and Sugar
• Ethanol from sugar beets and sugar cane
most common in Brazil
• Corn ethanol most common in U.S.
o Dry milling
o Wet milling
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Basics: Production
Cellulosic Ethanol
• Uses woody, structural parts of
plants
• Crop residues, small trees,
grasses
• Research under way to improve
cost and efficiency
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Basics: Distribution
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Benefits
Energy Security
•
More than half of U.S. petroleum is imported
•
Production of one unit of corn ethanol
requires 0.78 units of fossil energy
Public Health and Environment
•
Corn ethanol reduces GHGs by 19% to 52%
•
Cellulosic ethanol reduces GHGs by 75%
•
Reduces emissions of NOx, CO, benzene,
1,3-butadiene (higher formaldehyde and
acetaldehyde emissions)
Existing Infrastructure
•
Only minor modifications required
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Use: Vehicles
Flexible Fuel Vehicles
(FFVs)
•
Qualify as alternative fuel
vehicles under the Energy
Policy Act of 1992
•
Operate on gasoline, E85,
and lower-level blends
•
Comparable acceleration,
payload, speed
•
Single fueling system
•
Lower fuel economy on
ethanol
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Use: Fueling Options
Existing E85 Stations
Installing New E85 Equipment
•
Ask about fleet discounts
•
Research local regulations
•
Communicate potential
E85 demand
•
Use UL E85 listed equipment
•
Hire a professional with E85 experience
•
Contact the state energy office, industry
associations, Clean Cities
Converting Existing
Equipment to E85
•
Newer equipment, clean
and in good condition
•
Use a contractor that
knows state and local
rules
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For More Information
Alternative Fuels and
Advanced Vehicles
Data Center (AFDC)
www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/fuels/ethanol.html
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For More Information
•C
Clean Cities
Alternative Fuels and
Advanced Vehicles
Data Center (AFDC)
Clean Cities / 14
For More Information
Clean Cities
www.cleancities.energy.gov
Alternative Fuels & Advanced Vehicles Data Center (AFDC)
www.afdc.energy.gov
Clean Cities Coordinator Contact Information and Coalition
www.afdc.energy.gov/cleancities/progs/coordinators.php
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For More Information
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