NASCAR going "Green" with E15 racing fuel in 2011

[NickHolt]

Sunoco Green E15 will create jobs, foster energy independence and advance the greening of America’s No. 1 Motorsport

 

Daytona Beach, Florida (October. 16, 2010) – The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) today announced it will race with E15 fuel in its three national touring series in 2011. Sunoco Green E15 is a 15 percent ethanol blend using American-made ethanol from corn grown by American farmers.

 

“NASCAR is committed to being an environmental leader, and the sport has taken significant steps over the years toward conservation by introducing measurable, best-in-class initiatives in recycling, alternative energy, and carbon mitigation,” said Brian France, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NASCAR. “The transition to Sunoco Green E15 takes our long-term sustainability strategy to the next level. Sunoco Green E15 is good for racing, good for the environment and good for America. While fueling the same close, door-to-door racing that thrills our fans, American ethanol creates jobs in the United States, helps foster energy independence, and continues the greening of our sport.”

 

“Since 2004, Sunoco has produced and delivered to NASCAR the world’s best racing fuel flawlessly in a challenging, high-stakes environment,” said Bob Owens, Senior Vice President, Sunoco. “We’re proud to be part of NASCAR’s dedication to conservation with Sunoco Green E15 – the ultimate high-test ethanol fuel blend. In our six years as official fuel partner, Sunoco has changed with the times by helping NASCAR transition to unleaded fuel, and now we are eager to produce for the sport a high-performance ethanol blend.”

 

Sunoco Green E15 will be blended at Sunoco’s fuel facility in Marcus Hook, Pa., which provides high-performance race fuel to NASCAR teams at no cost to them. The American-grown and American-made corn ethanol will come in part from Sunoco’s new ethanol plant in Fulton, N.Y. The new fuel will be pumped directly from tankers at the track, rather than from on-site underground storage tanks.

 

NASCAR team engine builders have been testing the Sunoco Green E15 for several months, and reports have been very positive. In fact, many have reported achieving more horsepower with Sunoco Green E15.

 

“With Sunoco Green E15, we are leading by example, showing that this renewable fuel – which reduces greenhouse gas emissions – works in the most demanding racing environment in the world,” said Dr. Mike Lynch, Managing Director for Green Innovation for NASCAR. “NASCAR and Sunoco look forward to highlighting the efforts of the whole racing community to transition to Sunoco Green E15 in time for the Daytona 500 – from its manufacture all the way to the race track.”

 

“We know first-hand what it takes to produce high-performance, ethanol-blended fuels – almost every drop of Sunoco gasoline sold today contains ethanol,” said Cynthia Archer, Vice President, Marketing and Development, Sunoco. “And, like the ethanol produced at our new manufacturing plant in upstate New York, the ethanol we use in Sunoco Green E15 will come from corn grown by American farmers. As the sport continues to go green and evolves to renewable fuels, we will now make and deliver a new cleaner-burning fuel.”

 

Sunoco Green E15 is the latest in a series of NASCAR conservation initiatives. With the input of environmental experts and motorsports industry constituents, NASCAR is implementing programs to protect the environment while providing a proving ground for new green technologies. Drivers, teams, and track operators are working diligently on the issue of recycling, land conservation, and adopting alternative energy sources. Sponsors such as Coca-Cola, Coors Light, Goodyear, Office Depot, Safety-Kleen, Sprint and UPS are setting benchmarks for their dedication to keeping NASCAR green.

[Ford27]

For the science buffs out there, the energy production produced by burning materials is proportional to the molecules of oxygen used. Here are the chemical formulas for the energy produced by burning octane via gasoline and by burning glucose via ethanol.

 

 

 

Octane (n-dodecane): C12H26 + 18.5 O2 → 12 CO2 + 13 H2O 18.5 x energy units.

 

Glucose via ethanol:

Glucose 2 C6H12O6 → 4 CO2 + 4 C2H5OH

Ethanol: 4 C2H5OH + 12 O2 → 8 CO2 + 12 H2O

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

2 C6H12O6 + 12 O2 → 12 CO2 + 12 H2O 12.0 x energy units

 

 

Both ethanol and gasoline deliver the same amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere per gallon consumed. However, when compared on a per mile driven basis, burning ethanol actually produces 54% more CO2 as global warming pollutant than gasoline due to the fact that ethanol has lower fuel efficiency.This does not include the added pollutants caused by the refineing process which is very crude.They are working on breaking down the sugars with enzymes which would be a drastic improvement but then experts say that process is inefficient and larger scale prodution plants would be needed thus minimizing the effects.Most groups pushing ethonal will tell you it's good points and it has some. Its not posion(unless you drink alot) Its biodegadable..i.e no messy chemical spills, It has a higher octane.Afterall dragracers have been using it for years.Its also been noted that ethanol is extreamly hard on engines made for gasoline expecially carbs.Engines made for ethanol are fine with the stuff. What they dont tell you is the extreamly large amounts of chemical fertilizers needed to grow corn on the same land plots year after year and that the goverment has been subsidizing ethoal prodution for years and without it ethonal would be twice the cost of gasoline with less miles per gallon. My family is from illinois and I almost invested in this scam years ago....Luckly i did my research...It will also eat up your fuel lines although i think the newer stuff will handle it i hate this stuff. You cant pump it through line it has to be trucked, it eats aluminum i can go on but im sure everybody stopped reading this half way through already...STOP THE GOPVERMENT SUBSIDIES ON ETHANOL

[jwmbishop]

Cool info thansk (I loves me some mathmajical formulae to explain stuff!)

 

Ye the Go'vermin is a bad deal on this. Should be left to free enterprise.