Blog Post


Observations on the current happenings in the world of vehicles and the fuels that power them from Fuels Institute Executive Director, John Eichberger.

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Butterfly Effect and Forecasts

  John Eichberger |  July 20, 2022

A friend of mine who worked for a market analysis and consulting firm at the time, and who personally produced many forecasts about the transportation market (including some for the Fuels Institute), once told me – a forecast is only as good as the assumptions used and the results are outdated as soon as they are released.

Walk and Chew Gum – Keeping Biofuels at the Table

  John Eichberger |  June 16, 2022

While new technology will go a long way to helping us on a path towards carbon neutrality in the transportation sector, we have lost sight of something very important. Internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEV) remain the dominant source of mobility in the world. We have to walk and chew gum at the same time – we can and have a responsibility to embrace new technologies while simultaneously improving upon existing ones.

A Core Motivation of Decarbonization

  Jeff Hove |  May 19, 2022

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has proposed rules on Environmental and Social Responsibility (ESG) that may be finalized as early as December 2022. For this reason, and many others, it is critical that businesses engaged in the transportation sector pay attention to their environmental performance. Here’s a detailed explanation of why. 

E15 Summer Waiver: Key Questions About the Market

  John Eichberger |  April 14, 2022

The sale of E15 during the summer months is currently prohibited due to environmental regulations. The goal of this action is to provide a lower price fuel option for consumers and encourage more retail facilities to offer the fuel. The Fuels Institute took a look at the market to better understand what impact this decision might have on fuel supply and prices.

MHD Vehicles – Dynamic, Complex and Deserving of Special Attention

  John Eichberger |  April 2022

The medium and heavy-duty vehicle (MHDV) market policies, targets, and expectations cannot be the same as those for light-duty vehicles because the MHDV market is vastly more complex. To inform the broad community on the nuances of MHDV decarbonization, the Fuels Institute collaborated with Guidehouse Insights to highlight the complexity of the market in a new report.

Fuels Prices – In Context, not Hype

  John Eichberger |  February 24, 2022

The price of oil and gasoline is once again dominating news coverage, and with good reason - prices haven’t been this high since 2014. The bottom line to understanding prices has its roots back in high school economics - supply and demand. In an effort to move away from the rhetoric, let’s take a look at some historic data that will provide insight into some of the fundamentals affecting the market today.

How to Fund EV Infrastructure

  John Eichberger |  January 2022

Earlier this year, the Fuels Institute commissioned a study evaluating which policies and programs seem to be the most effective in supporting EVSE deployment. The report, written by the consulting firm ICF, will be published in early 2022. In this edition of The Commute, I want to share with you a preview of what they found regarding programs that help fund EVSE deployment.

Life Cycle Carbon Emissions of Electric and Combustion Vehicles

  John Eichberger |  December 2021

As the world pursues a vision of a decarbonized transportation market, the contribution of battery electric vehicles (BEV) will be significant and instrumental. Yet, one must not confuse the lack of a tailpipe with a vehicle that has no carbon emissions. An upcoming report from the Fuels Institute, “Life Cycle Analysis Comparison – Electric and Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles,” to be released in January 2021, takes an objective look at the carbon emissions from each phase in the life cycle of BEVs, ICEVs and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) to help determine where opportunities exist to most effectively take carbon out of transportation.

Should I Stay or Should I Go

  John Eichberger |  October 2021

Global leaders have made it clear that they want to transition away from hydrocarbons to address their concerns about climate change, but sharp increases in energy prices and, in some regions actual energy shortages, in the latter half of 2021 are compelling some to at least temporarily reverse course and increase their reliance on fossil fuels.
 

There’s Only One Way to Rock

  John Eichberger |  August 2021

National and regional governments continue to announce plans to phase out the internal combustion engine (ICE) and push for battery electric vehicles (BEV) and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) powered by hydrogen. Each of these technologies have a lot to offer and will provide great benefits to consumers and the environment, but they may not be applicable to all use cases and, despite government efforts, the market’s transition to these vehicles will take a very long time.