The Fuels Institute announced that they have published a new white paper, “Assessment of Biofuels Policy: Effectiveness of Emissions Reductions,” which explores the carbon benefits to using biofuels. This paper looks at fuel ethanol, biodiesel, renewable diesel and gasoline, hydrogen and R80B20, plus evaluating the policies that affect these fuels, the availability of feedstocks to expand their market share and the vehicle and infrastructure capabilities of accommodating such an expansion.
“We all know that the road to decarbonization is a long one and, despite the introduction of new vehicle technologies that promise to dramatically reduce carbon emissions, the reality is that we are going to be driving combustion engines and burning liquid fuels for decades and we must pay careful attention to this sector of the market, states John Eichberger, Fuels Institute Executive Director. “The paper is just the tip of the iceberg. We hope it jump starts the conversation about finding an answer to carbon emissions from all vehicles, not just new vehicles equipped with different technology.”
The paper presents the challenges in settling on a global, common method for evaluating life cycle carbon emission. It also addresses the current and proposed policy environment and associated costs, demonstrating that that there are policies designed to encourage the use of these fuels that conflict with policies that are designed to limit the use of these fuels. This paper sets up the discussion about how we harmonize the policy approach to take advantage of low carbon options that exist today or plan for those that are on the cusp of being viable.
The Fuels Institute, founded by NACS in 2013, is a non-profit research-oriented think tank that evaluates market issues related to vehicles and the fuels that power them, incorporating the perspective of diverse stakeholders to develop and publish peer-reviewed, comprehensive, fact-based research projects. The Fuels Institute is a non-biased organization that does not advocate.
