Automotive

I was formerly an automotive technician with an Associate's Degree in Automotive Technology and over 15 years of job experience. I held Automotive Society of Engineers certifications for Automatic Transaxles and Manual Transaxles. I was also certified to perform Pennsylvania State Inspections and Pennsylvania Emissions Inspections. I would like to share some of my knowledge to lead my readers to more informed decisions. Today, I would like to discuss fuel and energy. I do not expect electric cars to take over the market by 2030 as suggested by the current administration. Therefore, I believe people could benefit from understand the fuel they are putting into their vehicles. I will start by explaining the difference in fuels. Then, I will discuss how engines have evolved. Next, I will provide evidence that premium fuels offer little to no benefit in vehicles designed to run on 87 octane fuel. Finally, I will list several reasons that electric cars are not likely to dominate the near future.

First, it is imperative to dispel the notion that octane is a rating of quality or energy. In reality the octane rating is a measure of the fuels resistance to igniting. For example, 87 octane fuel ignites more easily than 89 or 93 octane fuel. The higher the octane, the more pressure and heat is required to cause the fuel to ignite spontaneously. However, there is no change in energy per gallon according to Car and Driver and MIT . Most engines are designed to run on 87 octane and do not benefit substantially from burning the higher octane fuel. Some vehicles, however, are designed to adapt to the fuel. In those cases, higher octane does increase horsepower and torque. Car and Driver suggests that it is not a substantial gain in power and fuel economy relative to the increased price of the higher octane fuel. Therefore, it is best to use the fuel that is recommended in the owner's manual. You can also find out the recommended fuel at fueleconomy.gov. Additionally, the fuel type may be displayed near the fuel gauge or on the fuel door. NEVER use a lower octane rating than recommended or engine damage is likely.

The reason there are multiple octane options is that engines with higher compression, such as those found in many performance cars, require higher octane. An engine with a higher compression ratio is capable of burning more efficiently and creating more power. However, higher compression causes more heat. Increased cylinder temperatures can cause the fuel to ignite spontaneously before the piston has reached the appropriate position. This causes a knocking sound and ultimately can cause the piston, connecting rod, or crankshaft to fail. Fuel Freedom provides an excellent illustration of how the engine functions. Most cars use a four stroke engine. The engine pulls air and fuel into the cylinder on an intake stroke. The compression stroke compresses the air fuel mixture. A spark plug ignites the fuel and the power stroke occurs. Finally, the exhaust stroke pushes out the byproducts of combustion. Early engines had low compression ratios. Increased demand for power and performance required higher compression but engines had difficulty running on pure gasoline. In the 1920s, lead was added to the fuel to reduce knocking, increase performance, and increase engine longevity. Unfortunately, lead is extremely toxic and harmful to the environment. In the early 1970's, the United States began to phase out leaded fuel and it was finally banned in 1996. In the meantime, lead in the environment caused lower IQ and other long term effects . Since 2005, Ethanol has been the additive that increases octane in gasoline. Initially, ethanol was found to cause corrosion in metals and rubber components. Therefore, automotive manufacturers have had to insure their fuel tanks, fuel delivery systems, and engines are engineered to be compatible with Ethanol. Notice that many fuel pumps have stickers notifying customers that the fuel may contain up to 10% Ethanol. Lawnmower and other small engine manufacturers have also been impacted by the use of ethanol.

Earlier vehicles built for low octane fuel would sometimes require higher octane to run correctly. Most vehicles built before around 1985 were carbureted. Carburetors use a fuel bowl and small passages which are affected by engine vacuum to deliver fuel into the engine. By the 1990's nearly all cars were fuel injected. This means that a computer regulated how much fuel was being delivered into the engine. There are multiple methods of fuel injection but we won't discuss that in this article. Carburetors were notorious for needing cleaned, leaking, and needing adjusted. Ideal air to fuel mixture for complete efficient combustion is 14.7 to 1. If there is not enough air it is a rich mixture and if there is excessive air the mixture is lean. Often, carbureted engines would run too lean creating excessive heat inside the cylinder or they would run rich. A rich mixture causes black smoke and carbon buildup inside the engine and exhaust. Excessive carbon buildup in the cylinder increases the compression ratio of the cylinder. Remember, increased compression or higher temperatures cause fuel to ignite prematurely. Frequently, the buildup would cause a vehicle to continue running after the ignition was turned off. Vacuum would continue pulling fuel into the engine and the engine would pump fuel into the fuel bowl. The carbon would keep igniting the fuel without the need for spark plugs. Incidentally, this is the principle behind diesel engines. When the older engines would have these issues, higher octane fuels would usually alleviate the symptoms for a while. As computer controlled fuel injection has advanced the issue of running lean or rich has greatly diminished. Moreover, newer models are able to regulate ignition (spark) and valve timing. Newer engines rarely have heavy carbon deposits. If there are problems that would cause the engine to run lean or rich the computer notifies the driver via the check engine light.

In 1996, E85 (flex-fuel) was introduced and has become popular. E85 consists of 51% to 83% ethanol and has an octane rating of 100 to 105. Ethanol, however, has approximately 30% less energy than conventional gasoline. E85 has the ablility to create more power in an engine than conventional gasoline but it comes at the cost of using more fuel because it contains less energy. E85 typically costs around 22% less per gallon but vehicles typically get 15% to 27% fewer miles per gallon according to Energy.gov.

There are several well documented problems impeding the complete transition to electric vehicles. Cobalt is extremely limited in supply. However, lithium ion batteries contain significant amounts of cobalt. Lithium batteries are used in power tools, cell phones, laptops, and many other rechargeable devices. According to Zeng et. al there will likely be a cobalt shortage beginning sometime between 2028 and 2033. Companies are vowing to use less cobalt but electric vehicles (EV) require massive batteries. Alternative battery technology is the best solution, but a better alternative has not yet emerged. There is, also, concern over how ethically these elements are being mined. A large portion of the worlds lithium and cobalt come from mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) . Miners in the DRC are often children and the conditions are dangerous. Wages are also extremely low. A third significant problem with the current battery technology is that lithium is highly reactive with water and generates flammable hydrogen and acidic lithium hydroxide. Thermal runaway has also occurred causing fires in some EVs over the past decade. These are serious safety issues that must be addressed before the government should force anyone to give up their gasoline vehicles. A forth issue is that the national electrical grid and power supply requires updating to meet the future energy demand. Estimates to upgrade the grid for EVs range from 23 billion to $125 billion dollars. Additionally, in 2023 a brand new gasoline car can sell for as little as $16,755 while the cheapest EV comes in at $27,495 This high production cost of EVs is likely to exclude many middle and low income families from purchasing a new vehicle. Furthermore, the repair cost to replace the battery can run from $5,000 to $15,000 . How long does your phone battery last? EV batteries are using similar technology. Fortunately, the batteries are warranted for 8 years, similar to today's catalytic converters. The problem is that cars out of warranty will be excessively expensive to repair compared to today's vehicles. I have already seen EV's and hybrids for sale online because the current owner can't afford to replace the batteries out of warranty. This will likely reduce the number of used cars in the marketplace which will not meet the demand; thereby, further increasing the price of used vehicles. Maybe you can afford a new EV, even a high end EV, but approximately one third of the population will probable suffer. Allowing the government to mandating all vehicles sold to run on alternative fuel in such a short period of time is clearly a step in the wrong direction. Fortunately, Bosch has been working on synthetic fuel that will allow the continued use of internal combustion engines while providing a carbon neutral footprint. Hopefully, Bosch and similar companies will not be blocked by congress.

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