The vast majority of gasoline pumps in this country offer you three choices: regular gasoline (usually labeled as 87 octane), mid-grade (89 octane), and premium (92 or 93 octane). Lots of people are uncertain about the differences between these gas types. Some imagine that occasionally treating their car to premium gas might increase performance or gas mileage — or somehow clean out the car’s engine.
According to a policy analyst, energy policy plays a part in America’s national security. The issue, he says, is picking which policy is best. Even with the national average price for gasoline being cheaper these days, the cost of filling up is hardly a bargain.
A new electric supercar made its debut here Sunday to try to lure a few of the well-heeled away from traditional high-octane machines. It’s called the Renovo Coupe, a sexy rear-wheel-drive supercar powered by batteries that is billed as being able to leap from zero to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds.
While a new Roadster has not been announced, Tesla is reportedly going to offer current owners a nice upgrade later this year with a new battery that will give the electric car a 400-mile driving range.
Tesla Motors’ plan to build a massive battery manufacturing plant — its “Gigafactory” — has set off fierce competition for the country’s biggest economic development prize in years. As the five states under consideration, including California, intensify efforts to land the factory and its 6,500 jobs, speculation about who holds the lead is rampant and changes by the day.
Market Research Reports, Inc. has announced the addition of “Global Demand, Capacity and Prices for Methanol – China to Remain the Dominant Market” research report to their website.
In the US, ethanol production averaged 931,000 barrels per day for the week ending August 8, or 39.10 million gallons daily, up nearly 30,000 b/d from the week before.
The first compressed natural gas, or CNG, capable half-ton pickup truck rolled off of an assembly line in Kansas City last November. It sported a 3.7-liter V6 engine, hardened pistons and valves, a factory-installed gaseous fuel-prep system, and greatly reduced costs. While a conversion kit for a gasoline-powered truck costs between $6,000 and $9,500, the new natural gas fuel-capable engine only sets you back an extra $315 plus engine costs.
Americans have lived in a world dominated by gasoline-powered vehicles for nearly 100 years. There are robust biofuels programs in place that attempt to lower gasoline consumption, but the nation’s overwhelming dependency on gasoline fuel creates some scary risks, some of which showed their ugly heads in the summer of 2008. Luckily, there is increased investment and attention being paid to the development of alternative vehicles that run on electricity or natural gas fuels.
Tesla is up 73% this year as the Palo Alto-based automaker continues to stoke expectations that they are on their way to becoming a mainstream automaker.
