Suzuki joins synthetic petrol trial for boat engines
Pilot program to look at ‘drop-in’ fuel solution, although at a cost to usersSuzuki has added its support to a trial looking at running conventional outboard engines on petrol made from renewable resources including used cooking oil as the US boat industry starts to look for low-cost alternatives to fossil fuels.
The outboard engine maker announced it has joined a US-based National Marine Manufacturers Association-led pilot program looking at sustainable fuels for recreational boating, with the first tests to focus on PurFuel, an ethanol-free fuel developed by Texas-based synthetic racing fuels and lubricants specialist Hyperfuels.
The fuel is a high priority for the trial because it is known as a “drop-in” fuel that can replace petrol without needing any modifications to the engine.
“Suzuki Marine USA will conduct trial introduction of Hyperfuels PurFuels in its daily development operations at the technical centre to contribute to the reduction of CO emissions,” the outboard engine group said in a statement announcing it would join the trial.
The pilot program will also make the fuel available to boat owners at a Florida-based marina.
Green tinge
According to Hyperfuels, using the methanol-based fuel reduces emissions by around 30 per cent compared with E10 – a mix of 10 per cent ethanol and 90 per cent petrol – that uses the same amount of renewable content.
PerFuel currently sells ethanol-free 93RON petrol for around $4.70 a litre in 200-litre lots. The NMMA said the extra cost associated with using synthetic petrol would add anywhere between $US0.25 and $US1 per gallon to the cost of using it.
“Because of the variety of diverse boat types and their varied use cases, recent research shows there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to reduce carbon emissions in recreational boat propulsion,” the NMMA said.
“However, with an estimated 12 million recreational boats on the water today in the US and with recreational boats having a lifespan of as many as 50 years, sustainable marine fuels can provide immediate carbon emissions reductions from existing boat propulsion systems.
“Sustainable marine fuels are made from cooking oil waste, animal fats, plant-based materials and other green refining methods and can be ‘dropped in’ to powerboat engines without changes or modifications to the current fuel systems.”
Recreational boats contribute around 0.1 per cent to global carbon emissions.
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
