News Media Contact(s): Jennifer Scoggins, (202) 586-4940 |
For Immediate Release October 7, 2008 |
Fact Sheet: Effects of Intermediate Ethanol Blends | |
In August 2007, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) initiated a test program to assess the potential impacts of higher intermediate ethanol blends on conventional vehicles and other engines that rely on gasoline. The test program focuses specifically on the effects of intermediate blends of E15 and E20—gasoline blended with 15 and 20 percent ethanol, respectively—on emissions, catalyst and engine durability, drivability or operability, and materials associated with these vehicles and engines. This DOE test program includes technical expertise from DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
This preliminary report, the first in a series of peer-reviewed reports that will summarize the results of intermediate ethanol blends, provides results from testing E15 and E20 on 13 popular late-model vehicles and 28 small non-road engines, including lawn equipment and generators. Vehicle results include the following when E15 and E20 were compared with traditional gasoline:
Small non-road engine results include the following when E15 and E20 were compared with traditional gasoline:
The full intermediate blend report is now available. |
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U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Public Affairs, Washington, D.C. |