&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Transportation and Air Quality
Transportation and Regional
Programs Division
EPA420-F-00-040
March 2002
www.epa.gov
SUCCESS STOfjy
Because O the environ-
mental advantages and cost
savings, Arizona Checker
Leasing Company purchased
its first methanol-fueled
vehicles in 1993 and cur-
rently counts 300 in its fleet
of nearly 450 automobiles.
The company leases its
M85 fuel-flexible vehicles to
two cab companies in the
Phoenix area. The company
purchases its methanol from
the California Energy Com-
mission, which sells it at a
lower, subsidized price.
According to the company,
methanol has performed just
as well as gasoline, providing
a safe, reliable, and cost-
effective fuel source for the
local cab companies.
For more information,
contact Robert Arnett with
Arizona Checker Leasing
Company at
(602) 244-1818.
Clean Alternative
Fuels:
Methanol
One in a series of fact sheets
For more than 30 years, methanol has been the fuel of choice at the
Indianapolis 500. Today, non-race car drivers can benefit from
methanol's high performance and safety benefits, as well. Most
methanol-fueled vehicles use M85, a mixture of 85 percent methanol and 15
percent unleaded gasoline. Methanol is also available as M100 (essentially
pure methanol), typically to substitute for diesel. Most methanol-powered vehi-
cles are fuel-flexible, meaning they can use 100 percent gasoline if methanol
is not available.
Methanol is the simplest alcohol chemi-
cally, containing one carbon atom per
molecule. Commonly known as "wood
alcohol," it is a toxic, colorless, tasteless
liquid with a very faint odor. Because it is
produced as a liquid, methanol is stored
and handled like gasoline. Most methanol
is currently made from natural gas, but it
can also be made from a wide range of
renewable sources, such as wood or waste
paper.
Methanol also offers important emis-
sions benefits compared with gasoline—it
can reduce hydrocarbon emissions by 30
to 40 percent with M85 and up to 80 per-
cent with Ml00 fuels. Emissions are con-
siderably lower when methanol is used in
a fuel cell vehicle—automobiles that con-
vert the chemical energy of a fuel into
electricity and heat without combustion.
AVAILABILITY
While no auto manufacturers produce
Ml00 methanol vehicles, more than
15,000 M85 fuel-flexible vehicles are in
operation, primarily in California and
EMISSIONS
CHARACTERISTI
reflect
Actual emissions will vary with
engine design; these numbers
the potential reductions offered by
methanol, relative to conventional
gasoline.
•	Potentially lower nitrogen oxide
emissions due to a high heat of
vaporization and lower peak flame
temperature.
•	Forms no particulate matter when
combusted; M85 will have some
particulate emissions due to the
gasoline component of the blend.
•	Lean combustion results in lower
overall volatile organic compound
emissions and higher energy
efficiency.
•	Potentially greater direct formalde-
hyde emissions.
•	Reductions in indirect formaldehyde
formation because the hydrocar-
bons emitted are less reactive.
•	Estimates based on methanol's inherently
"cleaner" chemical properties with an engine
that takes full advantage of these fuel proper-
ties.

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New York. Methanol vehicles are also
found in cities such as Atlanta, Den-
ver, Houston, and Detroit.
In addition, several manufacturers
are developing methanol-powered
fuel cell vehicles. Many experts con-
sider methanol to be the best suited
fuel to power fuel cell vehicles
because its simple chemical structure
streamlines the overall fuel cell
design. For consumers, refueling with
methanol is similar to refueling with
conventional gasoline or diesel fuel.
AFFORDABILITY
On a per-gallon basis, methanol costs
less than gasoline, but has a lower
energy content, meaning that a vehi-
cle needs more methanol to travel the
same distance as a gasoline-powered
vehicle. Taking this into account,
costs for methanol in a conventional
vehicle are slightly higher than those
for gasoline. When used in fuel cells,
which are considerably more efficient,
fuel costs will be lower.
Overall, methanol has high distrib-
ution costs because of low demand
and limited, regional markets. Gener-
ally speaking, light-duty methanol-
powered vehicles are $300 to $500
more expensive than gasoline-
powered alternatives, although these
costs might be offset by manufacturer
incentives.
weather, but this is not a problem for
M85 vehicles because of the presence
of gasoline. Furthermore, because of
methanol's corrosive nature, a spe-
cialized fuel system is needed to han-
dle the fuel.
SAFETY
There are some safety concerns with
methanol because it burns with a
nearly invisible flame, making flame
detection difficult for vehicle owners
and operators. Yet methanol is much
less flammable than gasoline and
results in less severe fires when it does
ignite. A few teaspoons of methanol
consumed orally can cause blindness
and a few tablespoons can be fatal, if
not treated. Antidotes can be effec-
tive if administered within hours of
intake. For safety reasons, denatu-
rants are added to Ml00 to give the
fuel an unpleasant taste and odor.
As with other alternative fuel vehi-
cles, adequate training is required to
operate and maintain methanol-
based vehicles. In case of spills,
methanol is biodegradable and
dilutes quickly in large bodies of
water. In addition, the toxic effects
on the environment after methanol
fuel spills are shorter in duration
than those of petroleum spills, and
even more so for Ml00 because it
contains no gasoline.
PERFORMANCE
Methanol and methanol blends have
higher octane ratings than gasoline,
which reduces engine "knock" and
can produce in a higher engine effi-
ciency. The higher octane also gives
methanol-fueled vehicles more power
and quicker acceleration. M100 vehi-
cles have difficulty starting in cold
MAINTENANCE
Methanol-powered vehicles require
special lubricants that present addi-
tional costs to the vehicle owner.
Overall, however, vehicle mainte-
nance might be reduced because of
methanol's clean burn characteristics.
For More Information
EPA Alternative Fuels Web Site
www.epa.gov/ otaq/consumer/
fuels/altfuels/altfuels.htm
American Methanol Institute
800 Connecticut Avenue, NW.
Suite 620
Washington, DC 20006
Phone: 202 467-5050
Fax: 202 331-9055
Web site: www.methanol.org
Alternative Fuel Refueling
Station Locator
Web site: afdcmap.nrel.gov/nrel
Alternative Fuels Data Center
Web site: www.afdc.nrel.gov
National Alternative
Fuels Hotline
Phone: 800 423-1 DOE
Printed on paper that contains at least 30 percent postconsumer fiber.

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