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For other types of "Hybrid Transportation", see Hybrid vehicle. A hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that uses two or more distinct power sources to propel the vehicle

A flexible-fuel vehicle (FFV) or dual-fuel vehicle (also sometimes called only flex-fuel) is an automobile with a multifuel engine that can typically use different sources of fuel which are either mixed in the same tank or with separate tanks and fuel systems for each fuel. Multifuel, sometimes spelled multi-fuel, is a term applied to any type of Engine, Boiler, or Heater or other fuel-burning device which is Fuel is any material that is burned or altered in order to obtain energy [1] A common example is a vehicle that can accept gasoline mixed with varying levels of bioethanol (gasohol). Ethanol fuel is Ethanol (ethyl alcohol the same type of Alcohol found in Alcoholic beverages. Ethanol (ethyl Alcohol) and Methanol (methyl alcohol are two types of Alcohol fuels. Some cars (see bi-fuel vehicle) carry a natural gas tank making it possible switch back and forth from gasoline to natural gas. Bi-fuel vehicles are Vehicles with Multifuel engines capable of running on two fuels Natural gas is a Gaseous Fossil fuel consisting primarily of Methane but including significant quantities of Ethane, Propane,

Contents

History

The first flexible fuel vehicle was most likely a Ford model T from 1908. It was fitted with a carburetor with adjustable jetting, allowing use of gasoline or ethanol [2].

Terminology

Bi-fuel vehicles have separate tanks for gasoline and the gaseous fuel. Bi-fuel vehicles are Vehicles with Multifuel engines capable of running on two fuels

Dual-fuel systems supply both fuels into the combustion chamber at the same time in various calibrated proportions. [3]

Flexible-fuel vehicles in Brazil

Four typical Brazilian full flex-fuel models from several car makers, popularly known as "flex" autos, that run on any blend of ethanol and gasoline.
Four typical Brazilian full flex-fuel models from several car makers, popularly known as "flex" autos, that run on any blend of ethanol and gasoline. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld Ethanol fuel is Ethanol (ethyl alcohol the same type of Alcohol found in Alcoholic beverages.
See also: Ethanol fuel in Brazil

Since the oil crisis in the 70's, Brazil has been selling ethanol as a fuel. Brazil is the world's second largest producer of Ethanol and the world's largest exporter and it is considered to have the world's first Sustainable |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld Car manufacturers modified gasoline engines to support ethanol characteristics (Changes are on compression ratio, amount of fuel injected, replacement of materials that would get corroded by the contact with ethanol, use of colder spark plugs suitable for dissipating heat due to higher flame temperatures, and an auxiliary cold-start system that injects gasoline from a small tank in the engine compartment to help starting when cold) and have been selling ethanol powered cars since then. The compression ratio is a single number that can be used to predict the performance of any engine particularly piston engines (but can be used on essentially any Internal-combustion A spark plug (also very rarely nowadays in British English: a sparking plug) is an electrical device that fits into the Cylinder However, flexible fuel technology started being developed only on the end of the 90's. The flexible fuel car is built with an ethanol-ready engine and one fuel tank. The lambda probe, used to measure the quality of combustion in conventional engines, is also required to tell the ECU which blend of gasoline and alcohol is being burnt. An oxygen sensor, or lambda sensor is an electronic device that measures the proportion of Oxygen (O2 in the gas or liquid being analyzed So, the controller regulates the amount of fuel injected and spark time: fuel flow needs to be decreased and also self-combustion needs to be avoided when gasoline is used (because ethanol engines have compression ratio around 12:1, too high for gasoline). Those cars can run with arbitrary combinations of gasoline and alcohol (can use both fuels sold in Brazil -- ethanol or gasoline with a blend of 20-25% ethanol - pure or blended in any proportion). [4]

In May 2003 Volkswagen built for the first time a production flexible fuel car, the Gol 1. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Not to be confused with Volkswagen Golf. The Volkswagen Gol is a Low cost Subcompact car designed in Brazil 6 Total Flex. Chevrolet followed two months later with the Corsa 1. Chevrolet (ˌʃɛvroʊˈleɪ - French origin (also known as Chevy) is a Brand of Automobile, produced by General Motors (GM The Opel Corsa is a supermini that has been produced by General Motors' European Subsidiary Opel since 1982 and has also been sold under a variety 8 Flexpower, using an engine developed by a joint-venture with Fiat called PowerTrain. Fiat SpA (an Acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino (Italian Automobile Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer By 2005, popular manufacturers that build flexible fuel vehicles are Chevrolet, Fiat, Ford, Peugeot, Renault ,Volkswagen, Honda, Mitsubishi, Toyota and Citröen. Chevrolet (ˌʃɛvroʊˈleɪ - French origin (also known as Chevy) is a Brand of Automobile, produced by General Motors (GM Fiat SpA (an Acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino (Italian Automobile Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer Ford Motor Company is an American Multinational corporation and the world's fourth largest automaker based on Worldwide vehicle sales, following For the article about the bicycle manufacturer see Cycles Peugeot. This is about the company for other uses see Renault (disambiguation. () is a Multinational corporation, engine Manufacturer and engineering corporation headquartered in Japan. The, Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese conglomerate consisting of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi (pronounced) is a Multinational corporation headquartered in Japan, and is currently the world's largest Automaker. Citroën (pronounced See-Troh-Enn is a French Automobile manufacturer, founded in 1919 by André Citroën. Flexible fuel cars were 22% of the car sales in 2004, 73% in 2005[5], and 90% in 2007. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. As of March 2008, the fleet of "flex" cars and light commercial vehicles had reached 5 million new vehicles sold,[6] which represents around 10% of Brazil's motor vehicle fleet and 15. International holidays March 2 - Mothering Sunday (Britain March 7 - Nyepi (Indonesia 6% of all light vehicles. [7] The success of "flex" vehicles, as they are popularly known, together with the mandatory use of E25 blend of gasoline throughout the country, allowed Brazil in 2006 to achieve more than 40% of fuel consumption from sugar cane-based ethanol for the light vehicle fleet,[8][9] and represents almost 20% of total fuel consumption in the road transport sector when trucks and other diesel-powered vehicles are considered. Ethanol (ethyl Alcohol) and Methanol (methyl alcohol are two types of Alcohol fuels. [10]

Ethanol Car Manufacturing in Brazil 2003-2007
(Selected years)
YearFlex fuel Cars
Manufactured		Total Cars
Manufactured		% Ethanol
Cars
200339. 8531,361,3614. 8
2004282. 7061,862,78017,8
2005776. 1642,011,81740. 7
20061. 249. 0622. 092,00359. 7
20071,716,7162,388,40271. 9
Source: Brazilian Automakers Association (ANFAVEA), 2007
and 2008. [11][12] Data shown for FFs does not include light
commercial vehicles.

There's another type of flexible fuel vehicle that is not uncommon in Brazil. Those are the cars able to switch from gasoline to natural gas. Compressed Natural Gas (CNG is a Fossil fuel substitute for Gasoline (petrol Diesel, or Propane Fuel. The term "flex-fuel", however is never used to describe those cars; instead, they are called bi-fueled vehicles[13] or tri-fueled if they are built with an ethanol-gasoline flexible fuel engine (and tetra-fueled if they can run on pure gasoline). These vehicles are always adapted in specialized houses after they are bought. In many capitals, natural gas shares a small part of the fuel market with gasoline and ethanol. It has the advantages of having government incentives for cars with such systems, like annual tax reduction, and being the cheaper cost-per-mile in the country. The disadvantages are a slight reduction of engine power, the small number of gas stations that have this fuel available, having the lowest mileage and the space needed for the cylinder (normally one or two) installation, normally taking up a good amount of space in the trunk. [14]

Trucks and pickups are mostly diesel powered and there's no project on conversion to some kind of flexible fuel system. Instead the tendency is to replace regular diesel with bio-diesel. Biodiesel refers to a non-petroleum-based Diesel fuel consisting of short chain Alkyl ( Methyl or ethyl) Esters made by The currently allowed mixture is 98% diesel and 2% bio-diesel. The mixture of 95% diesel and 5% bio-diesel will become a requirement only in 2013. 2013 ( MMXIII) will be a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. [15]

FIAT has introduced in 2006 the FIAT Siena Tetra fuel, which can run on 100% ethanol, E25 (Brazil's common gasoline mixture of 75% gasoline and 25% ethanol), pure gasoline (not available in Brazil) and natural gas. [16]

California automobile distributor ZAP, has agreed to be the exclusive North American distributor and has pre-purchased 50,000 cars from Brazilian automotive maker OBVIO!. The first models scheduled to go into production are the flex-fueled 828 and 012 in 2007, soon to be followed by the 828E and 012E equipped with electric drive systems. Obvio! 828 is a car made by Obvio!. The car was originally made by Dacon as Dacon 828 Models are expected to be available in Canada and the United States in late 2008.

Flexible-fuel vehicles in Europe

For a long time Ford Taurus was the only flexible-fuel vehicle sold in Sweden. The Ford Taurus is an Automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States. It was later replaced by Ford Focus. This is the article about the European and worldwide Ford Focus In 2005 Saab began selling its 9-5 2.0 Biopower (joined in 2006 by its 9-5 2. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Saab 9-5 is an Executive car produced by the Swedish automobile maker Saab. 3 Biopower), and Volvo its S40 and V50 with flexible-fuel engines. The Volvo S40, V40 and V50 are Compact executive cars produced by Volvo Cars. The Volvo V50 is the station wagon version of the Volvo S40 Small family car, produced by Volvo Cars, introduced in 2003 Bologna Motor [17] In 2007, Saab also started selling a BioPower version of its popular Saab 9-3 line. The Saab 9-3 is a Compact executive car produced by the automaker Saab in Trollhättan, Sweden The Saab-derived Cadillac BLS will also be available with E85 compatible engines in 2008. The Cadillac BLS is a Compact executive car designed specifically for the European market by the Cadillac marque of General Motors.

There are also plans of selling E85 fuel, and then some flexible-fuel vehicles, in other European countries:

- In October 2005, the Ford Focus FFV became the first flexible-fuel vehicle to be commercially sold in Ireland. E85 is an Alcohol fuel mixture that typically contains a mixture of up to 85% denatured fuel ethanol and Gasoline or other hydrocarbon (HC by E-85 is available throughout a limited number of Maxol service stations in the Republic. Maxol is an Irish oil company part of McMullan Bros Limited It was founded in 1920 Redesigned Ford C-MAX FFV may be sold there in 2007.

- Ford offers the Focus (all three models) since August 2005 in Germany. Ford is about to offer also the Mondeo and other models as FFV versions between 2007 and 2010. - Renault and PSA (Citroen & Peugeot) announced to start selling FFV cars from summer 2007.

The Koenigsegg CCXR is currently the fastest and most powerful flexible fuel vehicle with its twin-supercharged V8 producing 1018hp when running on biofuel (compared to 806hp on 91 octane (US) unleaded gasoline). Development Koenigsegg began the CCX project with the aim of entering the world market though particularly the United States car market. A supercharger is an air compressor used for Forced induction of an Internal combustion engine. A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the Crankcase in two banks of four cylinders in most cases set at a right angle to each other The octane rating is a measure of the resistance of Gasoline and other Fuels to Detonation ( Engine knocking) in spark-ignition

List of currently-produced flexible fuel vehicles

WarningVerify with the manufacturer as to which specific year, model and engine is compatible with E85 and other alternative fuels and indicate the alternative fuel(s) the vehicle can use.

Worldwide

2009
2008
2007
2006
2004 - 2005
2002 - 2004
2002 - 2003
2001
1999 and 2000

Many 1995-98 Taurus 3. 0L Sedans are also FFVs

Note: * denotes fleet purchase only

Europe

United States

Brazil

See also

References

  1. ^ Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center: Conversions
  2. ^ Hunt, V, D, The Gasohol Handbook, Industrial Press Inc. The Nissan Titan introduced in 2004 is a full-size pickup truck produced for the North American market by Nissan. Chevrolet (ˌʃɛvroʊˈleɪ - French origin (also known as Chevy) is a Brand of Automobile, produced by General Motors (GM The Chevrolet Celta ( Suzuki Fun in Argentina) is a Low cost supermini produced by Chevrolet in Brazil for the The Opel Corsa is a supermini that has been produced by General Motors' European Subsidiary Opel since 1982 and has also been sold under a variety See also Vauxhall Astra and Holden Astra for the usage of the nameplate by other General Motors subsidiaries The Opel Vectra is a Large family car produced primarily by Adam Opel GmbH (commonly known as "Opel" the German subsidiary of General For the Chevrolet (Trans Sport Montana minivan see Pontiac Montana The Chevrolet Montana is a light Pickup truck sold by Chevrolet The Opel Meriva is a Mini MPV based on the platform of the third generation Opel Corsa and sold under that name on all of the European markets with The Opel Zafira is a Compact MPV produced by KPK and Opel a General Motors subsidiary The Chevrolet S-10 was a compact Pickup truck from the Chevrolet marque of General Motors. Citroën (pronounced See-Troh-Enn is a French Automobile manufacturer, founded in 1919 by André Citroën. The Citroën C3 is a Supermini car with a range of inline-4 engines that has been produced by the French automaker Citroën since 2002 The Citroën Xsara is a Small family car produced by French automaker Citroën since 1997 Fiat SpA (an Acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino (Italian Automobile Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer The Fiat Uno is a Supermini car produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat. The Fiat Palio is a supermini designed by the Italian manufacturer Fiat as a world car, aimed at Developing countries. The Fiat Palio Weekend is Fiat 's 'world car' supermini Station wagon aimed at developing countries it is an extented version of the Hatchback The Fiat Siena is the four-door sedan version of the Fiat Palio, a Low cost Subcompact car / supermini especially designed for This article refers to a 1990s–2000s commercial vehicle For the 1970s–1980s small car of this name see Fiat Ritmo. The Fiat Punto is a supermini produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat, since 1993 The Fiat Doblò is a Panel van and Leisure activity vehicle produced by Italian automaker Fiat since 2001 The Fiat Idea is a Mini MPV built by the Italian manufacturer Fiat since 2003 The Fiat Stilo is a Small family car available as a 3-door and a 5-door Hatchback, as well as an estate ( Fiat Stilo MultiWagon) produced Ford Motor Company is an American Multinational corporation and the world's fourth largest automaker based on Worldwide vehicle sales, following The Ford Fiesta is a Supermini car designed by Ford Europe, a subsidiary of Ford Motor Company The Ford EcoSport is a Compact SUV designed and built in Brazil by Ford. This is the article about the European and worldwide Ford Focus () is a Multinational corporation, engine Manufacturer and engineering corporation headquartered in Japan. The Honda Civic is a line of subcompact / Compact cars manufactured by Honda. The Honda Fit is a five-door Hatchback Subcompact produced by Honda of Japan, that was first introduced in June 2001 The, Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese conglomerate consisting of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi The Mitsubishi Pajero iO is a Mini SUV produced by Mitsubishi Motors since June 15 1998 in three-door form and August 24 1998 For the article about the bicycle manufacturer see Cycles Peugeot. The Peugeot 206 is a supermini (subcompact car manufactured by the French Automaker Peugeot since 1998 The Peugeot 307 is a Family car produced by the French Peugeot manufacturer since 2001 This is about the company for other uses see Renault (disambiguation. The Renault Clio is a Supermini car produced by the French automobile manufacturer Renault. The Renault Scénic is a Compact MPV produced by French automaker Renault, the first to be labelled as such in Europe. (pronounced) is a Multinational corporation headquartered in Japan, and is currently the world's largest Automaker. The Toyota Corolla is a line of subcompact / Compact cars produced by the Japanese Automaker Toyota, which has become very popular throughout Not to be confused with Volkswagen Golf. The Volkswagen Gol is a Low cost Subcompact car designed in Brazil The Volkswagen Fox is a supermini produced and designed by Volkswagen do Brasil and sold in Latin America since 2004 and Europe since 2005 The Volkswagen Type 2 (also known as Transporter) was the second automotive line introduced by German automaker Volkswagen. The Volkswagen Polo is a Supermini car manufactured by Volkswagen. The Volkswagen Golf or VW Golf ( Mk1 and Mk5 badged as Volkswagen Rabbit in the United States and Canada, Mk1 badged as Volkswagen A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle ( PHEV) is a Hybrid vehicle with batteries that can be recharged by connecting a plug to an Electric power An electric vehicle conversion is the modification of a conventional Internal combustion engine vehicle (ICEV to electric propulsion creating an All-electric A bivalent engine is one that can use two fuel types Examples are Petroleum / CNG or Petroleum / LPG which are widely offered in the European , 1981, pp 9, 420,421, 442
  3. ^ http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/afv/conversion101.html
  4. ^ L10203
  5. ^ How to Beat the High Cost of Gasoline. Forever! - February 06, 2006
  6. ^ Brasil tem 5 milhões de veículos bicombustíveis (Portuguese). Globo G1 (2008-03-10). 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 241 BC - First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates Islands - The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing Retrieved on 2008-05-04. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1256 - The Augustinian monastic order is constituted at the Lecceto Monastery when Pope Alexander IV
  7. ^ DENATRAN Frota por tipo/UF 2008 (file 2008-03) (Portuguese). Departamento Nacional de Trânsito. Retrieved on 2008-05-03. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1491 - Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries adopting the baptismal name of João As of March 31st, 2008, DENATRAN reports a total fleet of 50 million, including motorcycles, trucks and special equipment, and 32 million automobiles and light commercial vehicles.
  8. ^ 2007 Brazilian Energy Balance: Executive Summary (English). Ministério de Minas e Energia do Brasil. Retrieved on 2008-05-10. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1291 - Scottish Nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England. Table 2. Report is based in 2006 data
  9. ^ Inslee, Jay; Bracken Hendricks (2007), Apollo's Fire, Island Press, Washington, D. C. , pp. 153-155, 160-161, ISBN 978-1-59726-175-3 . See Chapter 6. Homegrown Energy.  
  10. ^ D. Sean Shurtleff (2008-05-07). 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 558 - In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses Brazil's energy plan examined. The Washington Times. Retrieved on 2008-05-10. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1291 - Scottish Nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England.
  11. ^ Produção de Autoveículos por Tipo e Combustível - 2007 (Tabela 10) (Portuguese). ANFAVEA - Associação Nacional dos Fabricantes de Veículos Automotores (Brasil). Retrieved on 2008-05-04. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1256 - The Augustinian monastic order is constituted at the Lecceto Monastery when Pope Alexander IV
  12. ^ Anúario Estatístico 2007: Tabela 2.2 Produção por combustível - 1957/2006 (Portuguese). ANFAVEA - Associação Nacional dos Fabricantes de Veículos Automotores (Brasil). Retrieved on 2008-05-04. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1256 - The Augustinian monastic order is constituted at the Lecceto Monastery when Pope Alexander IV
  13. ^ http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/afv/conversion101.html
  14. ^ Brazil buys into flex-fuel cars - Green Machines - MSNBC.com
  15. ^ Lei nº 11.097
  16. ^ Fiat to Launch Tetra-fuel Siena in Brazil - NGV Global
  17. ^ [1]
  18. ^ http://www.e85fuel.com/news/090407_2008_ffv_release/090407_2008_ffv_release.htm
  19. ^ Toyota to launch flex-fuel cars in Brazil - report

External links

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