EPA-AA-TEB-511-92-01
EPA Evaluation of the Fuelon Power
Gasoline Fuel Additive Under Section 511 of
the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act
September 1993
NOTICE
Technical Reports do not necessarily represent final EPA decisions
or positions. They are intended to present technical analysis of
issues using data which are currently available. The purpose in
the release of such reports is to facilitate the exchange of
technical information and to inform the public of technical
development which may form the basis for a final EPA decision,
position or regulatory action.
Test and Evaluation Branch
Emission Control Technology Division
Office of Mobile Sources
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
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EPA Evaluation of the Fuelon Power Gasoline Fuel Additive Under
Section 511 of the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings
Act
The Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act
requires that EPA evaluate fuel economy retrofit devices and
publish a summary of each evaluation in the Federal Register.
EPA evaluations are originated upon the application of any
manufacturer of a retrofit device, upon the request of the
Federal Trade Commission, or upon the motion of the EPA
Administrator. These studies are designed to determine whether
the retrofit device increases fuel economy and to determine
whether the representations made with respect to the device are
accurate. The results of such studies are set forth in a
series of reports, of which this is one.
Fuelon Power is an aftermarket gasoline fuel additive that
is added to the vehicle tank by the operator when refueling the
vehicle. The product consists of a proprietary blend of
hydrocarbons products which are claimed to substantially reduce
vehicle exhaust emissions and improve fuel economy.
The evaluation of the Fuelon Power gasoline fuel additive
was conducted upon the request of the Federal Trade Commission
and was limited to determining the additive's impact on exhaust
emissions, fuel economy, safety, and installation effort.
1. Title:
Request for Evaluation of the Fuelon Power gasoline fuel
additive Under Section 511 of the Motor Vehicle
Information and Cost Savings Act
The information contained in sections two through five which
follow was extracted from various documents.
2. Identification Information:
a. Marketing Identification of the Product:
Fuelon Power (from additive package label,
advertising, and manufacturer's
literature enclosed with additive)
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a. Marketing Identification of the Product: continued
Note: Several related products are also marketed by
the manufacturer and are not to be confused with the
Fuelon Power gasoline additive that was evaluated
for the FTC and is addressed in this report. These
other products were not evaluated by EPA and are
identified as follows:
"Fuelon Diesel Saver and Conditioner" for
conditioning and stabilizing diesel fuel
"Fuelon Gasoline Saver and Conditioner" for
conditioning and stabilizing gasoline fuel for
marine engines
"Fuelon Heating Oil Extender" for heating oil
b. Manufacturer of the Product:
(1) Fuelon International Division (adv., label,
Fuel Plus Technology/ Inc. mfg. lit.)
147 Union Avenue
Middlesex, New Jersey 08846
(2) George D. Zervopoulos, President
Description of Product:
a. Purpose:
The gasoline fuel additive is claimed to
substantially reduce or almost eliminate vehicle
exhaust emissions, increase fuel economy at least
15%, and improve engine operation. (adv., label,
& mfg. lit.)
b. Applicability:
The gasoline additive is applicable to all gasoline
engines — small or large, new or old. (adv.)
c. Theory of Operation:
"FUELON coats each gasoline molecule with a patented
heat-seeking formulation that creates complete
combustion and the world's cleanest burning, most
efficient fuel." (label)
"Fossil fuels are made up of irregularily sized
molecules. Since combustion in a gasoline engine
occurs at the same rate, only the smallest molecules
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c. Theory of Operation; continued
are ever completely consumed (turned into energy).
The unburned molecules end up as wasted fuel. This
causes loss of power, pinging, knocking,
pre-ignition, and other fuel-related problems.
"FUELON reduces all molecules to a small, uniform
size, and coats them with a special formulation that
makes them much more sensitive to heat. After
treatment, FUELON-conditioned molecules are almost
100% energy efficient.
"FUELON transforms ordinary gasoline (any grade, any
octane, any brand) into the most efficient, hardest
working, cleanest, least polluting gasoline ever...a
true 'Super Fuel1." (mfg. lit. sent with additive)
"FUELON is a liquid you add directly to your car's
gas tank. It reduces the size of the gasoline
.molecules and coats them with a patented,
heat-seeking formulation. Wasted fuel is eliminated
and you get complete fuel combustion." (mfg. adv.)
d. Formulation and Packaging:
The product consists of a proprietary blend of
hydrocarbon products.
The additive is sold in a self-measuring plastic
container. A small funnel with an attached six inch
piece of tubing is also provided to aid in pouring
the measured amount of additive into the fuel tank.
The tubing also permits the additive to be poured
into the tank past the fuel nozzle restrictor plate.
e. Specific Claims for the Product:
(1) From additive label
Drive many more miles on much less gasoline
With more pep & power
Pass any emissions test without a tune-up or
adjustment
Switch from Hi-Test to regular gasoline &
still get better engine performance
FUELON's complete combustion lets you skip
many expensive tune-ups
48 hours after adding FUELON you'll pass any
emissions test (without a tune-up or
mechanical adjustment)
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(1) From additive label continued
FUELON takes the place of lead substitutes and
most other additives
FUELON improves the performance and longevity
of catalytic converters
Continuous use of FUELON will add years of
life to your car
(2) From manufacturer's literature
Fuel savings of 15% to 40%.
Increased engine power & performance
Clean carburetors & injectors.
Polluting exhaust emissions will be almost
totally eliminated.
Elimination of carbon deposits. Spark plugs
will work at peak efficiency for a much
longer period of time.
Faster and easier starting.
No pinging or pre-ignition.
Elimination of problems caused by "bad" or
"unstable" gasoline.
Gasoline will burn so clean, drivers will be
able to skip many tune-ups.
Drivers who fail emissions testing will pass
them just by adding FUELON to their gas
tanks.
Continuous use of Fuelon in gasoline adds
years to the life of any car.
(3) From manufacturer's advertising
Cut your gasoline bills 15% to 40% or more
Have your car running smoother, with much more
power
Eliminate your cars exhaust emissions and
pollution
48 hours after you add FUELON to your tank
your car will pass any emissions test,
without a tune-up or mechanical
adjustment, even if your car has already
failed
Your car, truck or van will start faster and
easier in any weather, run smoother, and
have much more power
FUELON treated gasoline keeps your engine so
clean and in such perfect running order,
you'll skip many expensive tune-ups and
your car will never miss them
No more knocking, or preignition, ever
You'll have the cleanest carburetor or fuel
injector in town
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f. Cost And Marketing Information;
1/2 pint $14.95 treats 120 gallons (mfg. lit.)
pint $24.95 treats 240 gallons
quart $39.95 treats 480 gallons
for two or more ordered from the manufacturer the
price is reduced $5.00 for each bottle.
The product is marketed through auto parts stores
and can be purchased directly from the manufacturer
by ordering
"We guarantee to do the following: (mfg. lit.)
1. Increase Mileage (MPG) By 15%to 40%
2. Your Car will Run With More Pep and Power
3 Polluting Exhaust Emissions Are Greatly
Reduced
If Fuelon Fails To Achieve All Three Features,
Return Unused Portion For A Complete Refund."
"Use FUELON for 5 or 6 fill-ups. If you are not
completely satisfied - If after using FUELON you can
go back to driving your car the way it used to run -
just send it back for a full refund." (mfr. adv.)
4. Product Installation, Operation, Safety and Maintenance:
a. Installation - Instructions, Equipment, and Skills
Required:
The additive label instructions — "Tilt bottle
until FUELON enters the measuring chamber and lines
up with the right gallon mark. If you add 10
gallons of gasoline, line FUELON up at the 10. For
20 gallons, line FUELON up at the 20, etc. Remove
gas cap, insert funnel. Pour FUELON into tank.
Replace bottle cap tightly." — are simple and clear
but cannot be properly followed due to problems with
the design of the measurement chamber of the
bottle. When attempting to pour out the measured
amount, additional additive spills over into the
measuring chamber. If the user stops pouring before
spillover, the chamber still holds additive near the
5 gallon mark. This problem occurs until the bottle
is approximately half full.
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b. Operation;
Once added to the fuel, operation is automatic with
driving the vehicle.
c. Effects on Safety:
(1) Operator safety:
The bottle label cautions against swallowing
or getting the product in the eyes plus gives
medical instructions. The label also states
that the product is combustible. However,
although the Material Safety Data Sheet warns
against inhalation, there is no such statement
on the label. No problems were observed in
testing by EPA.
(2) Vehicle safety:
No problems were observed in testing by EPA.
d. Maintenance;
Fuelon Power must be added to the vehicle by the
operator with each refueling.
5. Effects on Emissions and Fuel Economy:
a. Unregulated Emissions:
There was no information available regarding
unregulated emissions.
b. Regulated Emissions and Fuel Economy:
The emission and fuel economy results promised or
given on the label, manufacturer's literature,
advertisements, and in testimonials from purchasers
of the additive represent relatively uncontrolled
test programs and thus cannot be relied upon to
demonstrate that the additive has an emission or
fuel economy effect.
The Inspection/Maintenance (I/M) hot running
emission tests that are mandatory in many areas of
the country cannot be used to evaluate the emission
or fuel economy effects of a product. These are
usually tailpipe emission tests of a vehicle in
neutral. These test procedures, equipment, and
pass/fail points were designed to identify "gross
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emitting" vehicles and are thus not capable of
accurately detecting changes in vehicle emissions
and fuel economy levels.
Therefore, I/M tests cannot be used to show that a
product has a general effect on the emissions and/or
fuel economy of a vehicle when driven under
realistic road loads and operating modes. A
complete test program to verify the emission and
fuel economy benefits of a device would use the
Federal Test Procedure (FTP) and Highway Fuel
economy Test (HFET) plus follow established test
protocols such as was done in the attached test
report for the additive.
Also, the claimed benefit for the additive to aid in
passing emission tests is misleading. As discussed
in the immediately preceding paragraphs, the I/M
emission test does not prove that a product has had
a beneficial emission reduction on an individual's
vehicle. Furthermore, due to the variability of
this quick test, there is a reasonable chance that a
failed vehicle will pass a subsequent retest without
any maintenance. Typical EPA studies have shown
that approximately 30 percent of failed vehicles
will pass an immediate retest because many of the
failed vehicles only marginally exceeded the FTP
emission standards.
The following Sections are EPA's analysis and conclusions for
the additive.
6. Testing by EPA:
A detailed report of the testing performed by the EPA is
given in the EPA test report, EPA-AA-TEB-92-01, "Emissions
and Fuel Economy Effects of the Fuelon Power Gasoline Fuel
Additive" provided as an attachment to this MVICSA Section
511 evaluation report. A brief description of this
testing effort is given below:
Two typical vehicles were tested at EPA's Motor
Vehicle Emission Laboratory. The basic test sequence
included 1,000 miles of mileage accumulation, duplicate
Federal Test Procedures (FTP), and duplicate Highway Fuel
Economy Tests (HFET). This test sequence was conducted
both without and with the Fuelon Power additive in the
test vehicle's fuel.
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7. Conclusions:
EPA fully considered all of the information readily
available for the additive. The evaluation of the Fuelon Power
gasoline fuel additive was based on the information provided by
the manufacturer with the additive, related literature, and the
results of the EPA confirmatory testing of the additive.
The overall conclusion from the testing and evaluation is
that the Fuelon Power gasoline fuel additive did not
significantly reduce vehicle emissions or improve fuel economy
for either the FTP or HFET.
The additive clearly did not reduce vehicle exhaust
emissions nor produce the large — greater than 15 percent —
fuel economy benefits claimed by the manufacturer. Therefore,
users of the Fuelon Power gasoline additive are unlikely to
realize either an emissions or fuel economy benefit in actual
driving. Vehicle operation and performance were unchanged by
the additive.
*The requirement for test data following these procedures is
stated in the policy documents that EPA sends to each potential
applicant. EPA requires duplicate test sequences before and
after installation of the device on a minimum of two vehicles.
A test sequence consists of a cold start FTP plus a HFET or, as
a simplified alternative, a hot start LA-4 plus a HFET. Other
data which have been collected in accordance with other
standardized procedures are acceptable as supplemental data in
EPA's preliminary review of a device. EPA uses this
preliminary information to design for applicants the screening
test program which the applicants conduct at a private
laboratory at their own expense. Only if this screening test
data indicates that the product may have a statistically
significant effect will EPA offer an applicant the opportunity
for confirmatory testing by EPA. However, EPA is required by
regulations to charge the applicant expense for the direct cost
of any EPA testing.
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