ENGR 297 - Quiz 1 - Flex Fuel PDF

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5/4/2021

ENGR 297 – Quiz 1

Brad Zadorozniak 0427497

North American Capitalism Decelerating FlexFuel Technology

In North America there have been enormous increases in gas prices over the last few years, yet most consumers do nothing to rectify the problem other then complain amongst themselves. These same car operators are likely unaware of an economical, environmentally friendly, low cost alternative fuel named “E85 FlexFuel.” This fuel is comprised of 85% ethanol and 15% regular gasoline. The ethanol is made from domestically grown bio-material like corn and grains and is therefore renewable, yet the technology has not yet been embraced by North American consumers. The main reason why FlexFuel technology is not being used is a lack of knowledge and lack of government support. Most people do not know what flex fuel is or that their car is already capable of running on flex fuel. Domestic vehicle manufactures such as GM have sold over 1.5 million FlexFuel capable vehicles in the US to date, yet there are only about 600 FlexFuel filling stations nationwide. One of the nicest features of a FlexFuel vehicle is that it can still run on regular gasoline, thanks to sensors in the fuel lines that provide the car’s computer with information for fuel to air mixture ratios based on the type of fuel entering the combustion chambers. Since FlexFuel has a high ethanol content it significantly boosts the output power of an engine in comparison to the same engine running on regular unleaded gasoline. Increased use of FlexFuel would provide a boost to the domestic agriculture industry by increasing the demand for bio-materials like grain, corn used in producing ethanol.

5/4/2021

ENGR 297 – Quiz 1

Brad Zadorozniak 0427497

There are some disadvantages to FlexFuel though, which include about a 25% reduction in vehicle range, lack of refill stations and lack on infrastructure for ethanol production. FlexFuel is slightly more corrosive then gasoline due to its high alcohol content. This requires that the fuel be stored and distributed using materials that can withstand the more corrosive nature of FlexFuel. Fortunately, all of the above mentioned issues could be resolved with technological improvements; an example of the technology causing technology principle discussed in class. The need for cheaper, readily available FlexFuel would spark technological improvements in fuel delivery systems (resellers and end-users), ethanol refinement methods and even in agriculture (genetically modified plants to create larger yields). The result would be a boost in the economy in many sectors. Additional farm equipment would be needed to help grow the extra crops, research would be needed to improve ethanol production, and construction would be required for all the new refineries. If the government were to aggressively back FlexFuel usage by simply cutting taxes on this type of fuel (gas tax is about 40% of cost per liter in Canada) the savings would make FlexFuel very attractive to the end user. In fact, with marketing strategies and improvements to refinement, it could easily be viewed as a lucrative business for a company involved with production of the fuel. There needs to be a diffusion of technology starting with the government and oil companies to help the FlexFuel technology progress. Technological diffusion of the FlexFuel has already occurred in Brazil with the majority of vehicles now running off E85 FlexFuel. Brazil-U.S. relations are not very good which has actually helped the diffusion process, causing Brazil to

5/4/2021

ENGR 297 – Quiz 1

Brad Zadorozniak 0427497

develop its FlexFuel solution. The diffusion process should occur very quickly since there is not a large cost involved to upgrade an existing car, or add the E85 fuel option to a new car from the factory. FlexFuel usage will not become common in North America until the governments take action against oil companies that are making record breaking profits. Rebates, tax breaks and other incentives need to be started to promote use of alternative energy vehicles, especially FlexFuel. With a large part of Canada producing Grains, there is no reason that the ethanol cannot be produced, somebody just needs to start doing it....