Auto Manufacturers Consider Octane Bump To Meet Emissions Standards

Gas_Station_Pump_Five_Octane_RatingsAs CAFE standards continue to rise, auto makers are continually looking for new ways to increase fuel economy and reduce emissions in their vehicles. With a 2025 mandate of 54.5 mpg fleet average looming in the not-so-distant future, discussions are already underway regarding how to get there within the next nine years. Typically this is bad news for enthusiasts – it’s the reason we have start/stop technology, a wider proliferation of hybrids, and why many new performance cars are moving away from big naturally aspirated motors to smaller displacement mills supplemented by turbocharging.

However, the latest initiative being discussed might be music to some enthusiasts’ ears. At the 2015 SAE World Congress in Detroit last week, panelists representing Ford, General Motors, Chevron, and Renewable Fuels Association discussed the idea of raising the octane rating of regular gasoline from 87 to 95.

3213

Gas fights like this one depicted in the documentary “Zoolander” might become a thing of the past if expensive fuel becomes the norm.

Discussions indicated that such a move could increase fuel economy by three to six percent while also reducing CO2 emissions by two percent. The boost in octane would allow engineers a little more breathing room to make modifications to engine compression ratios to take advantage of the higher quality gas, tweaks which industry officials agree would be fairly easy to implement and get out on the market.

The drawback is that the auto industry does not dictate the price of gas – fuel costs would almost certainly rise with the substantial bump in octane. Additionally, the vast majority of the cars on the road today are designed to run on 87 and would see little-to-no benefit from the octane bump, a sentiment shared by panelist Amir Maria, a research engineer for Chevron Energy Technology Co. “Raising octane would have little impact on the current fleet,” he said. “At 25 cents per gallon difference, the cost to the consumer to use premium adds $1,500 over 200,000 miles.”

Still, we wouldn’t mind being able to find 95 octane fuel at our local filling station, assuming we could still get 87 and 91 if we chose. Would you?

About the author

Bradley Iger

Lover of noisy cars, noisy music, and noisy bulldogs, Brad can often be found flogging something expensive along the twisting tarmac of the Angeles Forest.
Read My Articles

Hot Rods and Muscle Cars in your inbox.

Build your own custom newsletter with the content you love from Street Muscle, directly to your inbox, absolutely FREE!

Free WordPress Themes
Street Muscle NEWSLETTER - SIGN UP FREE!

We will safeguard your e-mail and only send content you request.

Street Muscle - The Ultimate Muscle Car Magazine

streetmusclemag

We'll send you the most interesting Street Muscle articles, news, car features, and videos every week.

Street Muscle - The Ultimate Muscle Car Magazine

Street Muscle NEWSLETTER - SIGN UP FREE!

We will safeguard your e-mail and only send content you request.

Street Muscle - The Ultimate Muscle Car Magazine

streetmusclemag

Thank you for your subscription.

Subscribe to more FREE Online Magazines!

We think you might like...


fordmuscle
Classic Ford Performance
dragzine
Drag Racing
chevyhardcore
Classic Chevy Magazine

Street Muscle - The Ultimate Muscle Car Magazine

Thank you for your subscription.

Subscribe to more FREE Online Magazines!

We think you might like...

  • fordmuscle Classic Ford Performance
  • dragzine Drag Racing
  • chevyhardcore Classic Chevy Magazine

Street Muscle - The Ultimate Muscle Car Magazine

streetmusclemag

Thank you for your subscription.

Thank you for your subscription.

Street Muscle - The Ultimate Muscle Car Magazine

Thank you for your subscription.

Thank you for your subscription.

Loading