Bob Lee, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV\u2019s chief for global powertrain coordination<\/a>. Also there were representatives from the fuel industry \u2014 ethanol fuel interests, refiners, and fuel retailers \u2014 which has long resisted higher octane standards because of their added costs.<\/p>\nThe panel was a rare show of auto-oil industry brotherhood. Higher octane fuel typically fetches higher prices at the pump. Standard 87-octane fuel currently averages $2.71, with premium fuels another 50 cents above that at $3.23 a gallon.<\/p>\n
Nicholson said that the high cost of premium fuel today, however, is misleading since it is \u201csold as a niche product.\u201d If 91-octane were adopted as the national standard, the price increase would not be significant while delivering consumers better mpg in return.<\/p>\n
\u201c(The 95 RON standard) is the most effective way we can improve fuel economy \u2014 which is why we are fighting for it,\u201d Nicholson told The News.<\/p>\n
But David Cole, chairman emeritus of the Ann Arbor-based Center for Automotive Research, says it might not be that simple.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the things that is really uncertain is the economics of this whole effort,\u201d Cole said. \u201cYou could achieve a better fuel economy, but whether it\u2019s going to be enough with the cost increase of the fuel is a question. The economics as projected through the consumer is a really big deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, R-Illinois, on the House panel Friday, called the effort to change to 95 RON a \u201cmajor undertaking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor one thing, we must deal with the proverbial chicken and egg conundrum \u2014 we can\u2019t expect refiners and gas stations to invest in a new fuel unless they know that cars will be manufactured that will run on it, and automakers don\u2019t want to commit to the new engines until they know that the fuel will be widely available,\u201d he said. \u201cSignificant investment dollars and a great many jobs may be at stake.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nicholson said efforts to increase fuel efficiency by re-engineering gas engines \u2014 such as Nissan Motor Co.\u2019s introduction this year of a variable-compression engines in its Altima sedan \u2014 are much more expensive solutions than simply raising compression levels in synch with higher-octane fuels.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we\u2019re going to move forward with keeping internal combustion engines viable then we have to have improved fuels,\u201d said Nicholson, until such time as the consumer market embraces electrification. Battery-powered cars have been dogged by high costs, a spotty charging infrastructure and fears of more limited range.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe internal combustion engine is not dead yet, and it\u2019s very important as we march towards zero emissions that we make significant improvement in the efficiency of internal combustion engines,\u201d Nicholson said. \u201cWe\u2019re now in peaceful coexistence with electrification. We\u2019re working on both. There\u2019s no reason not to work on both.\u201d<\/p>\n
Former GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz, who is not part of the auto-oil consortium, said the timing is right for a 91-octane standard given the low cost of fuel and continued demand for gas engines.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now electric cars make no common sense,\u201d he said. \u201cThey need federal subsidies to be sold. Everything about them is artificially stimulated under the assumption we are running out of oil. But we\u2019re not going to run out of oil.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nicholson said that the House Energy committee, chaired by Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, was encouraging of the idea but that key details would still need to worked out. He said California, which currently only allows 91-grade premium fuel, would need to sign on to the national standard. And the standard would have to be phased in over time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Two weeks after winning a victory against aggressive federal fuel economy rules aimed at speeding adoption of electrified vehicles, the U.S. auto industry went to Capitol Hill last week to press Congress for a national fuel octane standard that would help increase the efficiency of the internal combustion engine. With consumers resistant to expensive, battery-powered […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22177"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22177"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22177\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22178,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22177\/revisions\/22178"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22177"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22177"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}