The US Energy Information Administration has released its new annual “Alternative Fuel Vehicle” report with data from 2011. It offers an overview of alternative fuel consumption and it’s being used in various applications…
- Consumption of ethanol (E85) jumped 52% from the prior year’s consumption, an increase from 90,323 thousand gasoline-equivalent gallons in 2010 to 137,165 thousand gasoline-equivalent gallons in 2011. It’s a reflection of the increase in, and ethanol usage within, the overall inventory of E85-capable flex fuel vehicles. Much of this came through the use of flex fuel medium-duty vans.
- Many fleets are meeting petroleum reduction requirements by using biodiesel rather than other alternative fuels. Changes in biofuel subsidies, specifically replacement fuels like ethanol and biodiesel, affect consumption trends in the marketplace. With the reinstatement of the biodiesel tax credit and the requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard, consumption of biodiesel grew almost 240% between 2010 and 2011.
- Consumption of ethanol in gasohol (E10) remained flat between 2010 and 2011 since almost all gasoline in the United States is now blended with 10% ethanol.
- Consumption of electricity in light duty automobiles increased by almost 36% with a total of 7,635 thousand gasoline-equivalent gallons in 2011 compared to 4,847 thousand gasoline-equivalent gallons in 2010. While the majority of electric vehicles in use remains in the low speed vehicle category (45,397 of the total 67,296 electric vehicles in use 2011), inventory of electric automobiles increased rapidly to 10,245 automobiles in 2011, primarily in the private sector where electric vehicles are becoming more widely available to private households.
