Cost Effective Sustainable Fuels for Performance Vehicles

Ethanol, as a fuel, has many favourable attributes when considering it for use in general everyday motoring as well as high performance race applications. Its status as a sustainable fuel when sourced from waste or by-product biomass, combined with good combustion, thermal and anti-knock properties, along with a tendency to reduce overall CO₂ emissions has prompted this investigation into the advantages of petrol-ethanol blends compared to conventional motorsport fuels for use in race vehicles.

This investigation compares three petrol-ethanol blends with three other fuels common to motorsports. Back-to-back testing was carried out on a single engine sourced from the New Zealand V8s National Championship touring car series, fitted with both a carburettor and EFI fuelling systems. Fuel performance was evaluated on cost, consumption, performance, and emissions.