MI: Methanol Fuels Indy Race Cars and Cleaner Air

Methanol Fuels Indy Race Cars and Cleaner Air

WASHINGTON (May 21, 1997) — As the green flag comes down on the Indianapolis 500, on Sunday, May 25th, the roar of the 4.0-liter, 32-valve engines will be fueled by methanol. For more than 30 years, the Indy Racing League has relied exclusively on methanol to provide the performance to win and the safety needed to get the drivers across the finish line.

"Up to 40 gallons of methanol are pumped into cars pulling into the Brickyard pits," said Methanol Institute President and CEO John Lynn. "We take great pride in being the fuel of choice for the Indianapolis 500."

The decision to use methanol was made in the mid-1960s, following the loss of two drivers due to car fires. If an engine fire develops in a methanol-fueled Indy race car, the pit crew simply pours water on the fire to put it out. Normally, the car is able to get back in the race in a matter of seconds. Methanol fuel is required by both the Indy Racing League (IRL) and the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART).

While IRL and CART race cars run on 100% or neat methanol, the largest market for methanol in the United States is for the production of methyl tertiary butyl ether or MTBE. As an additive in gasoline, MTBE is the oxygenate that helps reformulated gasoline burn cleaner. Nearly one-third of all gasoline sold in the country is cleaner-burning reformulated gasoline.

As an alternative fuel, methanol powers the 1997 Ford Taurus Flexible Fuel Vehicle (FFV), capable of running on any combination of methanol and gasoline. The Taurus FFV can be ordered from any Ford dealer in the country, and sells for $345 less than the gasoline model.

Methanol also is the fuel of choice for fuel cell vehicles. In a fuel cell, hydrogen from methanol and air react in an electrochemical process to produce electricity. Methanol is an ideal hydrogen carrier for fuel cell vehicles. Methanol fuel cell vehicles hold the promise of providing vehicles with the same range as today's internal combustion engine without the pollution. Automakers from Daimler-Benz and Toyota, to General Motors and Chrysler are all developing vehicles that will operate on methanol-powered fuel cells.

"As a key ingredient in reformulated gasoline, methanol is already helping to cut pollution in the nation's smoggiest cities," said Mr. Lynn. "The advent of methanol fuel cell vehicles may make tailpipes altogether a thing of the past."

Methanol is a liquid chemical that can be made from renewable resources such as municipal solid waste and biomass crops. Today, methanol is primarily made from domestic natural gas. The United States produces nearly one-quarter of the world's supply of methanol. In 1996, methanol production capacity from 18 U.S. plants in 8 states totaled 2.5 billion gallons.

The Methanol Institute (MI) serves as the voice of the methanol industry in Washington and across the country. MI works to support the use of clean reformulated and oxygenated gasoline, promote the use of methanol as an alternative fuel, and encourage the development of emerging methanol-powered fuel cells.

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