Franz Hofmann

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Alternative Fuel Workshop
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Franz Hofmann

• Lead automotive instructor for the Alternative
  Fuels Research and Education Division (AFRED) of
  the Railroad Commission of Texas
• 39 years in transportation education, research,
  and fleet management

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• To quote Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel, from
  the Bob Wills memorial album
•  
• Youve got to dance with who brung you
• Swing with who swung you
• Life aint no 40 yard dash!

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• You have to choose your dance partner carefully
  because you will be dancing with them for a long
  time.
• Dont do the 40 yard dash only to discover later
  that you chose the wrong dance partner.
•  
• Choosing a fuel is much like choosing a dance
  partner.

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What fuel options do we have?

• Gasoline
• Propane (LPG)
• Compressed natural gas (CNG)
• Liquefied natural gas (LNG)

• Diesel / diesel blends
• Ethanol
• Methanol
• Hydrogen
• Electricity
• Hybrids

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The perfect fuel?

• No one single fuel fits every application . . .
• . . . but certain fuels are more suitable than
  others for specific applications.

NO! My fuel is!
My fuel is the best!
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How do we select the best fuel for our needs?

• The most critical factor is availability.
• All other things being equal, any fuel that is
  not available when and where you need it is not a
  viable option.
• What about cost?
• Fuel at 5.00 per gallon is not a workable
  solution.
• A more critical factor is the total cost of
  ownership
• A fleet needs to calculate the true fuel cost per
  mile

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Gasoline and Gasoline Blends

• Gasoline-ethanol blends
• E-10
• E-20
• E-85
• Where does ethanol come from? Future supplies?
• Drop-in?
• Vehicle modifications
• Problems associated with gasoline/ethanol blends
• Connections to other countries with possible
  political instabilities potential effects on
  price and availability of fuels

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Propane (LPG)

• Propane fuel options
• Where does it come from? What is the future
  supply?
• What is the cost of LPG versus gasoline?
• Comparison of LPG to gasoline, energy content
• What about vehicle conversions?
• What about OEM options?
• What problems have been encountered with LPG
  vehicles?

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Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)

• CNG fuel options
• Where does it come from? What is the future
  supply?
• What is the cost of CNG vs gasoline?
• Comparison of CNG to gasoline.
• What about vehicle conversions?
• What about OEM options?
• What problems have been encountered with CNG
  vehicles?

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Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)

• LNG fuel options
• Where does it come from? What is the future
  supply?
• What is the cost of LNG versus gasoline?
• Comparison of LNG to gasoline, energy
• content
• What about vehicle conversions?
• What about OEM options?
• What problems have been encountered
• with LNG vehicles?

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Diesel and Diesel Blends

• Diesel fuel options
• Diesel blends
• Biodiesel
• What is the future for diesel?
• What about diesel emissions?
• Will the diesel engine ever be available for a
  sedan and/or a light truck?

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Ethanol

• What is ethanol?
• Where does it come from?
• What is the future of ethanol?
• Well then, what is E-85?
• The Brazilian connection
• What has been Brazils success when mandating the
  use of ethanol?
• Commercial availability

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Methanol

• What is methanol?
• How is it made (where does it come from)?
• Methanol and natural gas
• What is the future for methanol?
• Methanol toxicity
• Methanol/gasoline blends

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Hydrogen (H2)

• What is hydrogen?
• The hydrogen economy
• What can hydrogen do for me?
• Are there any hydrogen vehicle options?
• What is the future for hydrogen?
• Hydrogen and the fuel cell
• Will hydrogen ever be a drop-in fuel?
• Problems associated with hydrogen and storage

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Electric Vehicles

• Electric vehicles
• Battery
• Vehicle options
• Vehicle range (extension cords?)
• Power usage
• The future for electric vehicles

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Hybrids

• Hybrid vehicles
• What is in store for hybrids in the future?
• Hybrid vehicle availability
• OEM options
• Wider selections of hybrids
• Technology and future developments
• Dual-path hybrids (kinetic energy)

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"Miracle" Cures

• We have seen
• Vortex Generators, to induce air turbulence which
  aids in air and fuel mixing
• Airflow straighteners, to allow the air to enter
  the engine smoother
• Fuel polarizers, to re-arrange the fuel
  molecules, thusly allowing them to enter the
  engine without clumping
• Fuel catalysts, devices which re-arrange the
  atomic structure of the fuel to aid in more
  complete burning

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• Platinum plated stainless steel screens placed in
  the airflow to generate positive ionic atomic
  transfer (?)
• Magnets on fuel lines, reportedly to align the
  fuel molecules
• Fuel additive pellets (Naptha, or better known as
  Moth Balls)
• Adding acetone or lacquer thinner in an attempt
  to enhance the octane and enhance combustion
• Ectoplasm Trap (!)
• Spark generators inside the air cleaner housing
  to promote negative ions
• Air Bleeds, Fuel Bleeds, wiring in resistors,
  Oxygen Sensor Bias Shift, etc.

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Tested Fuel Saving Products

• The EPA and the FTC have tested hundreds of these
  devices, very few of which work (total gain,
  under .010 mpg), and also others that made the
  fuel mileage worse.
• www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/autos/aut10.shtm
  
• Also, Popular Mechanics has tested similar
  products, with similar results.
• www.popularmechanics.com

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Snake Oil

• Be VERY wary of any claim that states Approved
  by the EPA!
• The EPA does NOT approve any device.
• Also, be wary of any claim Patented or EPA or
  ARB Certified.
• All a patent means is that no one has done it
  already (not in the public domain for 7 years).
• Certification only means that it did NOT degrade
  the emissions, not that it improved the
  emissions, and NOBODY certifies a system that
  claims better economy!

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Snake Oil

• When its all said and done, if it was so great,
  it would be in every automobile already.
• Unfortunately, and contrary to popular mythology,
  there is NO truth to missing scientists, oil
  company conspiracy to suppress new technology,
  magic carburetors bought out by the Big 3.
  The closest we can get is between 1936 and 1953,
  a consortium of companies, General Motors,
  Firestone Tire, Standard Oil, and Phillips
  Petroleum did in fact buy out and close street
  car companies in order to stimulate new bus
  sales. (Still debatable, but is called the The
  Great American Streetcar Scandal)

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Prove It!

• Also, be wary of any testing results
• All testing should be performed by a recognized
  testing laboratory
• Anecdotal, non repeatable, third party claims
  have no legal credibility

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So, what is my total cost of ownership?
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TCO

• Total Cost of Ownership
• Does not start or end with the vehicle purchase,
  and retirement
• Outright cost of the vehicle
• Cost of raw materials
• Cost of energy required to produce the vehicle
• Cost of energy required to transport the vehicle
  (plus the costs of employees transportation)
• Cost of the disposal, repairs, total life cycle
  cost analysis

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TCO

• For example
• The most Energy Expensive vehicle sold in the
  U.S. in calendar year 2005 Maybach at 11.58 per
  mile. The least expensive Scion xB at 0.48
  cents.
• The Honda Accord Hybrid has an Energy Cost per
  Mile of 3.29 while the conventional Honda Accord
  is 2.18. Put simply, over the lifetime of the
  Accord Hybrid, it will require about 50 percent
  more energy than the non-hybrid version.

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Other Surprising Facts!

• The industry average of all vehicles sold in the
  U.S. in 2005 was 2.28 cents per mile, the Hummer
  H3 (among most SUVs) was only 1.949 cents per
  mile. That figure is also lower than all
  currently offered hybrids and Honda Civic at
  2.42 per mile.
• (Remember, we are looking at the total life cycle
  cost, including the amount of recyclables).

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Top 10 energy efficient

• 1. Scion xB (0.48 per mile)
• 2. Ford Escort (0.57 per mile)
• 3. Jeep Wrangler (0.60 per mile)
• 4. Chevrolet Tracker (0.69 per mile)
• 5. Toyota Echo (0.70 per mile)
• 6. Saturn Ion (0.71 per mile)
• 7. Hyundai Elantra (0.72 per mile)
• 8. Dodge Neon (0.73 per mile)
• 9. Toyota Corolla (0.73 per mile)
• 10. Scion xA (0.74 per mile)

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Bottom 10 energy efficient

• 1. Mercedes Benz produced Maybach (11.58 per
  mile)
• 2. Volkswagen Phaeton (11.21 per mile)
• 3. Rolls-Royce (full line average 10.66 per
  mile)
• 4. Bentley (full line average 10.56 per mile)
• 5. Audi allroad Quattro (5.59 per mile)
• 6. Audi A8 (4.96 per mile)
• 7. Audi A6 (4.96 per mile)
• 8. Lexus LS430 (4.73 per mile)
• 9. Porsche Carrera GT (4.53 per mile)
• 10. Acura NSX (4.45 per mile)

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Hybrid total energy efficiency

• 1. Honda Insight (2.94 per mile)
• 2. Ford Escape Hybrid (3.18 per mile)
• 3. Honda Civic Hybrid (3.24 per mile)
• 4. Toyota Prius (3.25 per mile)
• 5. Honda Accord Hybrid (3.30 per mile)

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So, who pays for it?

• Studies have shown that the initial vehicle
  purchaser does not pay for the full cost of the
  vehicle, it is transferred down the ownership
  chain.

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Explain, please?

• For example
• Hybrid vehicles carry an expected battery life of
  100,000 miles before calculated battery life
  deterioration.
• These vehicles are being sold to their second
  (and third) owners by this time (to avoid the
  battery replacement costs)
• As the hybrid vehicle reaches the end of this
  period, the engine carries more of the load and
  the relative fuel economy gains begin to
  diminish.
• Also with hybrids, additional items including low
  resistance tires are very expensive and have a
  short life.

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Yet more

• Once a hybrid vehicle battery package
  deteriorates beyond the effective usefulness, the
  engine has to work harder with a resulting
  decrease in fuel economy.
• The resulting vehicle is an underpowered and not
  terribly economical.
• Studies have shown that the second or third user
  of a hybrid vehicle will not replace the battery
  pack (estimated 8,000 replacement for an auto
  worth approximately 8,000).

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Cost to Recycle

• The batteries in hybrid vehicles are not
  recyclable at the rates needed for an effective
  return (less than 15 of the material in a
  Lithium Ion battery is recyclable, compared to
  80 in a Lead Zinc battery).
• The electronic controls will be outdated by the
  time the vehicle is recycled
• The engine can be cost-recovered as any engine
  could
• Information provided by CNW Marketing Research
  Inc

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In Closing

• A fur trapper in the old Yukon was asked what his
  favorite utensil was
• Well, I guess my hatchet. I have had it over 40
  years and it has never failed me yet. Ive only
  had to replace the handle 7 times and the head 3
  times!

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In Closing

• This demonstrates commitment to a tool, much the
  same as a fleet manager is committed to a fuel.
• Political climates change, but the fuel stays the
  same.

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. . .and remember

• Youve got to dance with who brung you
• Swing with who swung you
• Life aint no 40 yard dash!
• Make your choice of fuels carefully, you will be
  with your choice for a very long time.