Flex-Fuel Kits Convert Toyota Prius to E85 Ethanol (For Less Than $1000)
Dutch firm Green Fuel Systems, along with several other companies, has developed flex-fuel conversion kits for the Toyota Prius that cost less than $1,000. Converting our existing fleet to second-generation ethanol could be the best near-term play to directly replace fossil fuels.
Although the concept of a hybrid/biofuel combo has been around for a while, it has (at least in our minds) mostly been in the form of diesel hybrids running on biodiesel (which isn’t going to happen). But what if we could take America’s most fuel efficient car and convert it to run on another domestically-produced renewable fuel: cellulosic ethanol?
- » Read more on Car hacks / Mods
- » See peer reviews of Fuel Efficient Cars and Accessories at Green Home
It looks like that’s what Green Fuel Systems and a handful of other US-based companies want to do. Although ethanol has been beaten to a pulp by mainstream media, non-food based feedstocks (like switchgrass) are in the pipeline and could be seriously producing in the next five years. If you’re still not convinced, make sure to read this article: Dedicated Energy Crops Could Replace 30% of Gasoline.
While details on Green Fuel Systems’ specific product are lacking (and it’s not even clear if this is coming to the US), two US-based companies selling the same thing, and their systems are cheaper.
For example, a 4-cylinder flex-fuel conversion kit from Change2E85 costs less than $500. They even have a simple video describing how to install it. We’ve also previously covered AAMCO’s promotion of Flex Fuel US’s kits, and the holy grail: Ford’s prototype flex-fuel Escape plug-in hybrid that gets 88 mpg running on E85.
Converting our existing fleet of vehicles to flex-fuel capability, along with building it into new models, is arguably one of our best plays to reduce fossil fuel dependence in the next 10 years. GM thinks so, which is why by 2012, 50% of their new vehicles will have this capability.
But converting old vehicles instead of building brand new Chevy Avalanches, which get something like 15 mpg, makes much more sense. In terms of new vehicles, the most ideal would be a fuel-sipping plug-in hybrid running on E85 ethanol, produced from a second generation feedstock like switchgrass, miscanthus, or sorghum.
This is just one element of a three-part strategy to transition off our dependence on oil. If you visualize our nation’s oil consumption as a single barrel, we can try to eliminate it in thirds:
- 1/3 of it gets cut out with increases in efficiency and conservation
- 1/3 comes from direct replacements, like second-gen ethanol
- 1/3 of it comes from new technology, like plug-in hybrid, electric, and hydrogen cars
The direct replacement part is particularly important, and there’s no way all the exciting new technology like plug-in and fully electric cars will do anything to offset the millions of cars already on the road. If it only takes a few hundred dollars to convert a car to run on E85, it might only be a paycheck away.
That is, of course, dependent on the full-scale implementation of economically viable cellulosic ethanol production and refueling infrastructure. If any of a number of developments pan out, the former should be in place in the next few years, and refueling infrastructure should follow suit.
More Posts on Flex Fuel and Cellulosic Ethanol:
- Dedicated Energy Crops Could Replace 30% of Gasoline.
- Bolt-On Kits Convert Cars to 85% Ethanol, Part of Green Auto Service
- Switchgrass Could Displace 30% of US Petroleum Usage With 94% GHG
- Prototype Ford Escape Plug-in Hybrid: 88 MPG on 85% Ethanol
- First Cellulosic Ethanol Plant Goes Online, Makes Fuel From Wood Waste
- World’s First Commercially Viable Cellulosic Ethanol Plant Online 2009
Photo Credit: Beth and Christina via Flickr under Creative Commons License
“But converting a vehicle that gets 55 mpg, vs GM’s Chevy Avalanche, which gets something like 15 mpg, makes much more sense. ”
Why would it make more sense to convert a Prius, rather than something that uses more than three times as much fuel?
One thing is for sure … the retrofit market is growing and will be huge, no matter the technology (primarily CNG, plug-in hybrid & clean diesel/biodiesel).
Convert it to ethanol? I thought we were trying to save the planet here. It has been proven over and over that ethanol is actually worse for the environment than regular old oil.
It takes carbon emissions to grow the needed amounts of corn, it takes carbon emissions to extract the ethanol and then there are carbon emissions when the ethanol is burned. On top of that there are reports of 15% less fuel efficiency with ethanol.
We are pouring our food supply into our gas tanks. That has influenced our food prices in an already weak economy.
Converting your hybrid to ethanol will make it worse for the environment than it already is.
Clifford, please refer back to the article. I’m talking about cellulosic ethanol, not corn-based ethanol. They have very little in common.
Yeah, I was about to come down on this article based on the title. But 2nd Gen Ethanol is an idea I haven’t heard of yet. Very cool!
mpgomatic:
I guess what I was trying to say is that a brand new plug-in hybrid running on a biofuel makes more sense than a brand new chevy avalanche running on a biofuel.
But that only applies to new vehicles. You’re right that converting old gas guzzlers would actually make more of an impact than converting a bunch of old Priuses.
Post was updated above..
Food based crop, or non edible crop, it makes no difference: ethanol is the devil. It can’t be transported via pipelines, it takes up acreage that would otherwise be used for food production thereby decreasing the overall production of food which in turn pushes edible crop prices through the roof, and it takes lots of water to produce on a large scale.
It is not a viable stop gap solution either as the cost to implement production and distribution would ensure that it would be around for a long while as investors would want to make a substantial profit on their money. In addition, those same investment dollars could be better used on increasing mileage by innovating cheaper technology currently on the shelf.
BTW, it does not escape my attention that the blogger is pushing E85, GM is pushing E85, and there happens to be two great big GM ads on the page I’m viewing.
Or just don’t buy a car.
It does more harm to the environment to manufacture a Prius, let alone it’s batteries, than to drive a Land Rover.
Bio Diesel, all the way.
@Clayton:
I’m curious, why the added expense for converting hybrids to flex-fuel capable cars? Can the FFI product (available at change2e85, whom you reference) work with a hybrid engine? In my experience, the FFI products just sit between the fuel injectors and the engine valves, managing the fuel flow based on the fuel mixture. I’d be interested to learn what is different between FFI/standard flex fuel conversion kits and the Green Fuel Systems units… The FFI model is supposed to work with Toyota hybrids:
http://www.change2e85.com/servlet/Detail?no=108
Funny enough, on a similar subject, I asked the stunningly-verbose Henrik Fisker about Flex Fuels in his Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid:
http://www.gearcrave.com/buyers-guide/autos/gearcrave-interview-henrik-fisker-and-the-fisker-karma/
Fisker’s response: “There are no plans for that at this moment. We believe that the gasoline engine is the best solution as it will not be used very often.”
…too bad.
“BTW, it does not escape my attention that the blogger is pushing E85, GM is pushing E85, and there happens to be two great big GM ads on the page I’m viewing.”
Joel,
Oh boy, here we go. I’ve been waiting for someone to accuse me of being paid off by GM. Usually advertisers just pay for advertising space without paying for good PR too, but your cutting observation has uncovered major conspiracy here. Excellent work.
Actually, GM has been incredibly open with the blogging community about their commitment second-gen biofuels, and for what it’s worth, I hope they figure it out.