CHEVRON STARTS REFORMULATED FUELS PROGRAM

Chevron U.S.A. Inc. unveiled two reformulated motor fuels-a premium unleaded gasoline and a new diesel fuel-in southern California last week.

In other California clean fuels action:

Shell Oil Co. began selling M85 fuel, a blend of 85% methanol and 15% unleaded gasoline, at a service station in Valencia, about 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles. It's the first of four Shell stations in the state to participate in a 10 year public-private partnership program with the California Energy Commission (CEC).
ARCO received an award from the South Coast Air Quality Management District (Scaqmd) for its EC-1 regular, industry's first gasoline reformulated to reduce emissions from older vehicles.

CHEVRON'S REFORMULATED FUEL

Chevron's reformulated Supreme Unleaded will be available by fall in the company's four market areas with the most severe air quality problems, as designated by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The new fuel was introduced at retail outlets in Los Angeles and San Diego last week and will be available in Houston and Baltimore later this summer.

It also will be sold in Santa Barbara and Washington, D.C.

The new gasoline can be used in automobiles and light trucks that are designed to burn either leaded or unleaded fuel.

The company reduced carbon monoxide while maintaining octane levels by adding at least 5.5 vol % methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), or about 1 wt % oxygen. It lowered hydrocarbon emissions by cutting Reid vapor pressure.

Chevron also introduced its reformulated Special Diesel fuel in the Los Angeles basin.

It figures the new diesel fuel can cut emissions of carbon monoxide 20%, hydrocarbons 40%, nitrogen oxides 2%, and particulates 9% per vehicle, compared with average low sulfur diesel fuel.

SHELL'S M85

Shell's M85 marketing program requires drivers of flexible fuel vehicles to use a cardlock, similar to a credit card, to activate an electronic dispenser and charge their purchase.

The purchase is made from the CEC at a service station pump displaying CEC's M85 logo.

Shell said about 500 flexible fuel vehicles are on California's highways, and about 5,000 are forecast to be in service by 1992. Many of them are in government and company car fleets.

ARCO AWARD

ARCO won Scaqmd's Advancement of Air Pollution Technology award for EC-1, an unleaded fuel that's designed for pre-1975 cars and pre-1980 trucks without catalytic converters that otherwise would burn leaded gasoline.

EC-1 also recently earned the company Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley's Significant Achievement Award in Pollution Prevention.

EC-1 emits less carbon monoxide and reactive chemicals that cause smog because it is lower in sulfur, benzene, aromatics, and vapor pressure than regular leaded gasolines. It has been sold in southern California since last September.