Do you hate paying more in the winter time for the gasoline known as oxygenated fuel? Would you hate it even more if it turns out that oxygenated fuel, mandated by the Clean Air Act amendments of 1990, is no different from conventional gasoline?
In its November issue, Consumer Reports says that the oxygenated fuels used in winter to reduce carbon monoxide emissions from motor vehicles, in fact, produced no such reduction over gasoline mixed to 1990 standards.
The magazine compared these and other fuels using ONE 1995 Dodge Dakota pickup truck. This truck was run through an emissions control facility ONCE with each fuel. (The Dodge Dakota was used because it was easily fitted with a new gas tank for each test, ensuring that the fuels did not mix.)
However, in addition to any sampling problems associated with using only ONE vehicle and testing each gasoline only ONCE, the American Petroleum Institute points out that the 1995 Dodge Dakota is a newer vehicle, one fitted with the latest emission control system.
The state-of-the-art emission control system is likely why the pickup truck showed no difference in emissions from different gasolines. It is older cars fitted with less sophisticated emissions control systems that produce fewer emissions with oxygenated fuels!
So take heart, if you drive an older car, you may be getting something for your money. That is unless you buy reasoning of Consumer Reports.
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Copyright © 1996 Steven J. Milloy. All rights reserved. Site developed and hosted by WestLake Solutions, Inc.