California's Methanol Fuel Experience
The State of California has had an experimental methanol program that ran for 15 years. The assessment of both state officials and of Ford motor company was that is was successful. This was in an age when vehicle on-board computers where primitive, and still all issues where successfully accommodated. Today, with the much more powerful 32 bit on-board computers, changes in timing, etc., can be made easily. Furthermore, since 10% ethanol has been added to regular grade gasoline, and the EPA has approved 15% ethanol to regular grade vehicles build from model year 2001, the issues of fuel system and valve seat wear have been drastically reduced. For Flex Fueled vehicles (so called E-85 vehicles) both of these problems have been solved for mixtures with methanol mixtures as high as 56% (Lotus Vehicle Engineering). With this as backgroud lets look at the California Methanol Fuel Experience.
The History
In what follows, the summary is largely taken from the report: Peter Ward and Jonathan Teague "Fifteen Years of Fuel Methanol Distribution". http://www.methanol.org/Energy/Resources/Alternative-Fuel/CEC-1996-ISAF-Fuel-Meoh-Paper.aspx The link was viewed on JAn 31 2013. Peter was the Program Manager of the California Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program. Additional information was obtained from Roberta Nichols "
The Vehicle modifications
The Operations
The outcome
Link to Alternative Transportation Fuels
Link to ethanol fuels
Link to natural gas as a fuel
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