Effects of Intermediate Ethanol Blends on Legacy Vehicles and Small Non-Road Engines, Report 1
In 2007, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) initiated a test program to evaluate the potential impacts of intermediate ethanol blends on legacy vehicles and other engines. The purpose of the test program was to assess the viability of using intermediate blends as a contributor to meeting national goals in the use of renewable fuels. Through a wide range of experimental activities, the program evaluated the effects of E15 and E20 (gasoline blended with 15 and 20% ethanol) on tailpipe and evaporative emissions, catalyst and engine durability, vehicle driveability, engine operability, and vehicle and engine materials. This report (PDF 4.3 MB) Download Adobe Reader provides the results from the first stages of a much larger overall test program. The program is co-led and funded by the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Biomass Program and the EERE Vehicle Technologies Program with technical support from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.