Click above for hi-res gallery of the Lotus Exige 270E Tri-Fuel

British sportscar-maker and engineering firm Lotus may be known for its lightweight vehicles, but in the industry it still packs a punch as a heavyweight. It's that weight which Lotus is throwing behind methanol as the most viable alternative fuel.

Towards that end, at this year's Geneva motor show Lotus unveiled the flex-fuel 270E prototype based on the lightweight Exige sportscar. The vehicle is designed to run on gasoline, ethanol or methanol, but it's the latter which the company feels is the most viable for the near future. Like bio-ethanol, methanol can be made from natural materials, or can be made from hydrogen combined with CO₂ pulled out of the thin air, which allows for zero-emissions operation. The most convenient aspect, however, is that most car engines on the road today could be converted to run on methanol.

[Source: Automotive News Europe - subs. req'd]

At first we thought somebody out there was exercising their ninja photoshop skillz but then it occurred to us that those folks would probably not be busying themselves with the likes of the G-Wiz. No, this had to be the product of a mind so sick, so twisted, that it created the original Reva G-Wiz, on which this pick-em-up truck appears to be based, to begin with. Luckily, we live in the age of the internets and after sending out a correctly formatted query down a tube, back shot the hoped-for response.

From a page created somewhere back in the mist of time (2006) came the reassuring news that this crime sin peccancy iteration of the G-Wiz was a one-off built as a test bed for a phosphoric acid fuel cell. This cell used methanol instead of hydrogen as an energy source and negated the need for a hydrogen storage system. Of course, it also created the need for a methanol storage system but that's beside the point. Since nary a peep has been heard about this creation since an article describing the project was published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, we feel it's safe to assume the concept has been put to rest. If you want to make sure that this is the case you'll have to pick up a copy of the latest magazine published by the Battery Vehicle Society (BVS) and look for an article about the truck written by Mike Boxwell.

[Source: G-Wiz Owners Club]

Click the Exige for a high-res gallery

Back in mid-2006, Lotus unveiled a flex-fuel E85-capable Exige 265E that was being used as a technology demonstrator. Lotus has used the 265E to learn about optimizing the performance and efficiency of ethanol and flex-fuel engines. At this week's Geneva Motor Show, Lotus is unveiling the next stage of this research with the Exige 270E Tri-Fuel. This one is capable of running on gasoline, ethanol or methanol. Paging Bob Zubrin: your car is ready. With an E85-compatible engine, the process of calibrating the powerplant basically involves a two-dimensional continuum of possible fuels going from gasoline to E85. Adding methanol into the mix adds a third dimension to the map and makes the question much more complex. Detecting the fuel blend and determining the appropriate fuel flow for optimal performance is more difficult in this scenario, but Lotus has done this and upped the power to 270hp.

The other aspect of this project is the work that Lotus is doing with researchers on synthetic methanol as an alternative to bio-ethanol. Lotus describes a method of producing a carbon-neutral methanol fuel by extracting atmospheric carbon dioxide and reacting with hydrogen to produce methanol and water. The idea is that the hydrogen could be produced by renewable means such as solar, wind, or tidal power -- or any number of other methods, for that matter. This has many advantages over using either hydrogen or electricity directly. It eliminates the issue of storing and transporting hydrogen as well as the limitations of batteries. As a liquid fuel, methanol could be relatively easily distributed and used. There is, of course, a big question of the efficiency of the whole cycle. There are also other means of producing methanol and, of course, other synthetic alcohols like butanol.


[Source: Lotus]

Robert Zubrin has new book on gaining petroleum independence by switching from imported oil to alcohol fuels. He wants Congress to require that all new cars and trucks built be flex-fuel capable. There's an interesting interview done by Glenn Reynolds and Helen Smith on their podcast. Zubrin certainly makes a good case that all new vehicles should be built with flex-fuel capability. More importantly, he wants to make sure that vehicles can run on any alcohol, including methanol or butanol.

It certainly makes sense to have all gasoline engines be capable of running on alcohol fuels. The marginal cost of producing the vehicles is only about $100. The problem lies in the fuel. While Zubrin argues that the U.S. could become completely independent of foreign oil by using alcohol, the reality is far from that simple. Certainly corn ethanol will not get us anywhere near total independence. While cellulosic ethanol holds a lot of promise there are other potential issues. Some of the potential materials that would be used as feed-stocks are currently left on fields and forest floors to decay and replenish the soil. Using those materials to produce fuel would potentially degrade the ability of soils to grow future crops. Using methanol and butanol definitely provide additional fuels that could come from other sources than food crops. Some of Zubrin's arguments seem a bit over-simplified (and don't even get me started on his anti-hydrogen arguments) but the interview is thought-provoking nonetheless.

[Source: Instapundit, thanks to Alex for the tip]

Here we're quite happy to report about progress on the so-called "Second Generation" biofuels, such as cellulosic ethanol, which yield cleaner results than "First Generation" ones like corn ethanol. However, there is also something that the French site MoteurNature calls "Zero Generation" biofuel: methanol. Methanol can be considered even worse than first generation biofuels because it needs a lot of land and energy to be produced. The topic was brought up during the last China Synfuels Summit, held a couple of weeks ago.

Methanol is a simpler form of alcohol which is can be obtained from wood or, more commonly, from coal. The Chinese seem to be working on it because it's an alternative to the day-by-day, more expensive oil, not because it brings environmental benefits. Methanol is a very poor performing fuel. Let's take an ideal car that gets 10 l/100 km (23.5 mpg). The same vehicle on ethanol gets 12.5 l / 100 km (18 mpg) and 15 l / 100 km (15.5 mpg) on methanol.

Two Chinese carmakers, Changan (one of its models pictured above) and Chery, have already introduced methanol prototypes, which have similar modfications as other flex-fuel cars. China is proposing to introduce M85 (85 percent methanol, 15 percent of gasoline) at pump stations. Estimates are that there could be about 50,000 M85 / flex-fuel ready vehicles ready for next year.

Related (and smarter ways of producing and using methanol):

• EVS23: AutoblogGreen Q&A on Smart Fuel Cell's methanol fuel cells
• Startech will make methanol from trash in Puerto Rico

[Source: Moteur nature]

Say "fuel cell" to someone in the auto industry and I bet you dollars to donuts that they'll think you're talking about hydrogen. Well, I'll make the bet unless you're speaking to Dr. Jens Müller or Dr. Peter Podesser of Smart Fuel Cells. These two men were in Anaheim for EVS23 to showcase their methanol fuel cells. The big selling point of these fuel cells, Podesser and Müller will tell you, is that all of the problems with the commercialization of fuel cells have been overcome by using methanol cartridges. Of course, the problem with methanol fuel cells is that they emit carbon dioxide along with water. The SFC line is that the CO₂ is minimal, equivalent to the amount that comes from a baby's mouth over the same time period. Don't believe me? Give them a listen here (28 min, 19 MB). Podesser is the CEO of Smart Fuel Cell and Müller is SFC's chief technology officer, so they should know what these cells are capable of.

The SFC brand name for the fuel cells is EFOY (that's "energy for you" fuel cells) and comes in four sizes, with output options ranging from 1.6 kWh per day to 0.6 KWh per day. Naturally, these fuel cells can be used in a variety of vehicles, from three-wheeled rickshaw-like bikes to motor homes (where the cells are used as power generators, not to provide forward motion).

"We believe what we've found is not far from the silver bullet, and our demonstration plant will be about showing that. We have the organism people have dreamt of -- it eats nearly anything and it makes ethanol really quickly." - Hamish Curran TMO Renewables CEO

The organism that Curran is speaking of is a bacteria which was located in a compost heap. From there, scientists modified and refined the bacteria and are now saying that it is three-hundred times more efficient that it was while wild. They are calling this bacteria TM242, and it is a thermophile, meaning that it thrives in high heat environments. They plan to focus first in the U.S. in part because we have many E85 vehicles already on the road and an existing and growing infrastructure with which to distribute the fuel.

Other news from TMO: "We have an interesting beasty that was found on the side of a volcano in Montserrat just before it exploded. That one eats vegetable oil, drinks methanol and ****'s [ahem... excretes] biodiesel."

[Source: Treehugger]

Ethanol, methanol and butanol all share a common thread. Besides all being alcohols which are used as fuels, some to a greater degree than others, they can also be manufactured via standard chemical reactions. None of them seem to offer the perfect replacement for petroleum based gasoline. Here is another question worth considering: Is gasoline the best possible fuel for automotive use? What about diesel? Do any of the existing fuel options have the best chemical make-up? Let me level with you here... all of that is over my head at this time. I would love to know more about the chemistry that would determine the answers to these questions, and in fact have been reading up on the subject. But, I'm no expert. Fortunately, the company known as Amyris Biotechnologies is full of just that type of expert. And, now that they are close to cracking their first round of synthetic genetic engineering, that of a better cure for malaria, they have turned their attention to the biofuel industry. For an interesting read on their efforts, click here.

[Source: Technology Review]

Should we be adding hemp to the growing list of crops for alternative fuels that are better than our current use of corn for ethanol? That is an idea proposed by Anthony J. Gerst over at Planetsave.com. Anthony surmises that hemp could produce 600 gallons of methanol per acre. Methanol, being an alcohol, could be used as an alternative fuel, and is also used as a component for creating biodiesel from vegetable oil.

Other points of interest from the posting include the fact that hemp could save many trees from paper use, and is an excellent crop for the sequestration of CO2. What do you think? Should we consider hemp as a crop for use in alternative fuels?

[Source: Anthony J. Gerst / Planetsave]

Karl Jacob, the man behind the E85 Viper we featured the other day, was recently interviewed by AutoblogGreen. He said he hopes to clear up some misinformation on ethanol and share his experiences with our readers. So, without further ado, Karl Jacob:

ABG: The first question on many minds is probably What made yo do it? What made you choose ethanol as a fuel source?

KJ: The main cause was kind of, building a performance car, as a kid I was a car nut. When we were building the car, we were thinking about what sort of modifications were to be made, we had to decide if we were going to go "pretty hard-core" or whether we were going to go all the way. Ron Jr. called and kind of convinced me to "go all the way", and in the same phone call, he said to me, "have you heard about this stuff called E85", which I had, and I asked, well, what does that have to do with it? He said, well you know it has 105 octane, and then it started to make sense. The idea that you could make a high-performance car and run it on a renewable fuel was really exciting. And we thought that if we could show that there was a performance advantage to using that instead of, say a race fuel, that we could have a real positive impact.

[Note - At this point, I mentioned that in my editorial about ethanol, there was a story about at least one time where he had already done that. Check it out if you haven't.]

ABG: What was required in the conversion?

Keep reading after the break for the rest of the interview.

In America, we have trash, and lots of it. Remember in "Back to the Future", when Doc, played by Christopher Lloyd, grabbed garbage from a can, dropped it into the back of his time-machine and fueled its time circuitry with it? This is nothing like that. But, it is pretty cool if they can get it to work at an economically feasible price. The idea is to convert the organic parts of trash into alcohol, specifically methanol and ethanol. Both have uses as fuels. The waste products apparently are turned into some sort of glass product that is safe to dispose of. I make no claims to understand how this happens, I am merely passing on the information I read to you, dear readers. But, here goes an explanation of the technology based on this page.

Using technology which was developed at MIT and at Batelle Pacific Northwest National Labs (PNNL), in Richland, WA. A spinoff company, Integrated Environmental Technologies (IET), also based in Richland, WA, has taken over. The process "vaporizes organic materials to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide, a mixture called synthesis gas, or syngas, that can be used to synthesize a wide variety of fuels and chemicals. The waste is heated in a 1,200° C chamber into which a small amount of oxygen is added to partially oxidize carbon and free hydrogen." Some organic material becomes char, which is gasified using some sort of plasma, and toxic wastes are discarded. "The next step is a catalyst-based process for converting syngas into equal parts ethanol and methanol."

Again, according to the article, enough ethanol and methanol could be created from the available amounts of garbage that they could replace 25 percent of the gasoline in the U.S. If this is possible, it sure sounds better to make ethanol using this procedure than to use corn, and they claim it is cheaper to do as well. One potential problem the article suggests is that landfills may fight for their share of garbage, which they sometimes make gas from, as they have money to make as well. Gee, bury the trash underground or reuse it in a meaningful way? Toss-up, right?

Other people have tried turning trash into fuel too, and MIT has a program dedicated to it. If possible, why not? Any comments?

At last year's Tokyo Motor Show, Yamaha introduced a fuel cell scooter called the FC-me. It ran on a liquid methanol-water solution and its size and performance would have fit nicely in the 50cc gas-fueled class. This year, Yamaha is upping the ante with the FC-AQEL, a 125cc comparable two-wheel fuel-cell that they'll show off at the 22nd Electric Vehicle Symposium in Yokohama, Japan.

The biggest difference between the FC-me and the FC-AQEL, other than size and weight, is that this time they're fueling the stack with two high-pressure hydrogen tanks rather than a methanol solution.

Now, how long is it going to take Yamaha engineers to create an 800cc comparable fuel cell race bike for Rossi?

You can read the entire translated press release after the jump. Here's a link to the original if you prefer reading it in Japanese.

[Source: Yamaha via Digital World Tokyo]

Fuel Cell Works is reporting that Veloform has announced the release of a fuel cell-powered, three-wheeled bicycle called the City Cruiser II. You may recognize the familiar shape of the vehicles as Veloform is the maker of the Bicy-Taxis shown at New York's Ecofest a couple months ago.

The City Cruiser II runs on a methanol EFOY fuel cell manufactured by SFC Smart Fuel Cell. Veloform says that the fuel cells not only power the motor, but also provide electricity for the vehicle's lights, radiator and communication equipment as well.

Veloform's website is a bit out of date as it fails to even mention that the City Cruiser II is fuel cell-powered vehicle, though, Fuel Cell Today is reporting the same news on the City Cruiser II as Fuel Cell Works.

Unfortunately, I don't have a thorough understanding of methanol-powered fuel cells, so maybe someone will be able to shed a bit of light on the situation. I do understand that methanol is much easier to contain and transport than pure hydrogen, however, don't methanol fuel cells emit carbon dioxide as well as water? The Fuel Cell Test and Evaluation Center says the equation for the overall cell reaction looks like this:

CH₃OH + 3/2 O₂ => CO₂ + 2 H₂O

What am I missing?

[Source: Fuel Cell Works]

George Olah, winner of the 1994 Nobel Prize in chemistry, discusses the Methanol Economy in an interview with the Technology Review. Methanol, just like Hydrogen, is not a source of energy like gasoline but an energy carrier. But Methanol can be pumped pretty much just like we pump gas now, and can be mixed with gasoline or used in methanol fuel cells. Methanol can be produced by converting natural gas, in a new efficient way. A second, more fascinating approach consists of combining CO2 with water and electrically reducing it to methanol. The idea was conceived after inventing the methanol fuel cell, which produces CO2 and water. They found out they could actually reverse the process and produce methanol. This opens up the possibility for using CO2 from flue gases at power plants, or taken CO2 out of the air.

[Source: Technology Review]

If you’re looking for a readable yet detailed look at the scientific data of green automobile technology, Popular Mechanics is the place to go today. Their cover story called “The Truth About Biofuels” in engaging and straightforward and highly recommended.
The set-up for the piece is a look at popular biofuels, including ethanol, methanol and compressed natural gas. The pros and cons of each fuel are detailed (did you know biodiesel and regular diesel have almost the same BTU content?), and there’s an outlook for how each fuel may play a role in the future. Also, reading the article gives you the sense that the lawmakers are ahead of the curve on biofuels, since a lot of ethanol is currently added to gasoline to meet state or EPA emission limits. [Source: Popular Mechanics via Joel A]