USDA Biofuel Engines

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Retrofitting the Legacy Fleet
USDA Biofuel Engines February 14, 2010

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Alternate Fuel Dilemma

• How do you create an Alternate Fuel supply chain
  that can economically compete with petroleum
  products?

None of the Existing Options Achieved all of
these Components
Key Attributes for a Successful Transition

• Collaborative effort along the entire supply
  chain
• Fuel and vehicles need to be commercially
  available at a reasonable cost
• There needs to be a retrofit solution for the
  existing supply chain
• Vehicles that have multi-fuel capability provide
  significant advantages

Must address these critical elements

• CNG high cost, poor availability, complex
  installation
• LPG high cost, poor availability, complex
  installation
• FFV no retrofit option
• Hybrids no retrofit option and high cost
• Electric not available today and very high cost
  forecast

Market needed a legal flex fuel retrofit option

• Sufficient scale along the entire supply chain
• Achieve reasonable economics during the transition

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Flex Fuel US was founded to address this gap and
to create a bridge for the FFV/E85 strategy
Flex Fuel US LLC
Key Milestones
Founders/Partners

• Founded in 2006 and first sale of shares
• Utility Patent 7,349,790 awarded in 2008
• First EPA certification awarded in 2008
• Second round of funding in 2009
• Featured in Business Week as one of Americas
  Most Promising Start-ups
• Four additional EPA certifications in 2010
• 100th vehicle converted in 2010
• 1 million total miles driven with conversion and
  on E85
• Awarded GSA approved supplier
• Converted Dodge Charger Hemi with over 80,000
  miles in E85 operation

• Automotive background
• Fuel injection racing
• Aftermarket gray market conversions
• Custom car builders
• Emissions testing
• Fuel production and distribution
• Petroleum refining and marketing
• Government and collaboration
• Business consulting

4
Our goal was to create a street legal and low
cost flex fuel conversion technology but there
were some significant challenges
Challenges to Address
Implications

• Any modifications to the vehicle requires that a
  certificate of compliance from the EPA be
  obtained for a vehicle family including
• Meeting new vehicle tail pipe emissions requires
  passing a series of emission tests as prescribed
  by the EPA.
• Demonstrate that you have not interfered with any
  of the vehicles control systems and not altered
  or modified the OBD-II system.
• Prove that the technology and use of E85 doesnt
  impact the durability of the vehicle which
  requires certifying the system to operate over a
  vehicles normal life cycle of ten years or 120K
  miles.
• The conversion would have to provide a way to
  address these requirements for a range of fuel
  characteristics without altering the original
  manufactures equipment.

Federal/State Rules
Clean Air Act requires all vehicles to have fully
functional OBD, tailpipe and evaporative emission
systems that have not been altered or modified
from their original calibration.
Different fuel characteristics
E85 fuel has less BTU content and introduces a
significantly higher level of oxygen into the
engine than gasoline.
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A supplemental fuel system was the only approach
that would address the challenges and deliver our
goal
Design Approach
Supplemental Fuel System
Design Considerations

• The conversion system would have to be able to
  increase fuel delivery without using the OEM
  injectors and therefore the only way to
  accomplish this would be
• throttle-body style supplemental fuel injection
  system totally independent of the factory fuel
  management system
• An independent fuel management system that
  monitors engine functions and prescribes a
  precise amount of fuel for the new injector to
  deliver

• Adding fuel delivery over and above the factory
  settings would be required in certain
  circumstances
• The fuel characteristics could vary from 0 to
  85 ethanol
• No modifications to the OEM injector pulse signal
• No interference with or manipulation of OEM ECU
  or other instrument signals

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The independent fuel management system provides
sufficient control capability to enable these
vehicles to pass stringent EPA testing
Fuel Management System
Engine speed
Throttle position
Flex Fuel US Processor
Injector Pulse
Ethanol content
O2 sensors
Air temperature

• Engine speed, throttle value positions and O2
  sensor signals are borrowed from OEM equipment
• Ethanol content and air temperature is provided
  from sensors we add to the vehicle
• The processor is a race proven proprietary
  hi-speed controller processing information at
  speeds up to fifty times faster than the factory
  control module.
• Algorithm based strategy with configurable Load
  RPM axes to enable optimization in desired
  operating range
• True Speed-Density algorithm allows for easier
  tuning
• Integrated dashboard logic provides real-time
  critical system and engine functions
• All electrical connections run through a common
  harness equipped with OE style metra-pack
  connectors. The harness is a universal
  application and can be adapted to fit most any
  application.

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The independent fuel management system provides
sufficient control capability to enable these
vehicle to pass stringent EPA testing
Fuel Management System
Engine speed
Injector Pulse
Throttle position
Run time correction table
Ethanol content
Cold cranking fuel table
Flex Fuel US Processor
O2 sensors
Acceleration enrichment table
dTPS table
Throttle position transient fuel table
Air temperature
Fuel ethanol content table
Base fuel map
The processor contains multiple mapping
strategies specifically tailored for each engine
family. The maps provide an integrated logic
circuit to control supplemental fuel delivery
throughout the vehicle operating range.

• Base fuel map built on Alpha-N speed throttle
  angle/engine speed algorithm
• Alcohol table that receives a signal from the
  alcohol sensor and increases or decreases the
  fuel map by a based on the alcohol content of
  the fuel.
• Throttle position transient fuel tables
• dTPS table provides an additional asynchronous
  pulse to increase fuel delivery acceleration
• Acceleration Enrichment position correction,
  reduces or increase the asynchronous pulse based
  on throttle speed
• Cold start and cold idle strategy
• Ambient air temperature sensor
• Cold cranking fuel table adds additional fuel
  during the crank cycle below 400 rpm based on
  ambient air temperature
• Run time correction provides additional fuelling
  during cold idle based on running time and
  ambient air temperature

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Supplemental fuel is added after the throttle body
Supplemental Injection System

• Throttle body style fuel injection utilizes high
  performance Bosch 65lb. Injector
• Universal style can be adapted to most engine
  configurations
• Injector modified and custom machined to our
  specification
• Low impedance quick response peak hold design
• Improved drivability at idle and low speed
  operation

Factory fuel rail
Factory fuel line
Intake manifold
Air intake
Fuel lines are equipped with OE style
quick-disconnect fittings
Throttle Body Valve

• Industry standard ethanol sensor

• Precision machined injector plate application
  specific.
• Injector plate machined to produce optimal
  air/fuel atomization.
• Throttle bore matched for maximum air flow

Legend Factory equipment Provided by Flex Fuel US
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Proven Track Record of Performance

• The technology has been robustly tested across a
  wide range of conditions and with key stakeholders

Quality Assurance Testing
On Road Fleet Testing

• Independent Testing
• EPA NVFEL Lab, Ann Arbor, MI
• Roush Labs, Livonia, MI.
• Oak Ridge National Labs, TN.
• Mercedes Labs, Ann Arbor, MI.
• Test Vehicles
• 2006 Charger with 80k miles of testing
• 2006 Grand Marquis with 50k miles
• 2006 F-150 with 10k miles
• Engineering Reviews
• Reviewed to ensure the system meets or exceeds
  engineering safety standards for fuel handling,
  component durability, and ethanol compatibility

• Demonstration Pilots
• City of Chicago
• State of Iowa, Iowa National Guard

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Tailpipe Performance

• Our test results have proven to improve tailpipe
  emissions for used vehicles using E85 fuel

This table shows the FTP test results for a 2007
Chrysler 300 that had been driven 21,000 miles
when it was tested at Roush Labs. The data is
from official certification testing without DF
corrections.
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Durability Testing

• We completed a comprehensive review of the
  vehicle materials to ensure they were compatible
  or did not significant reduce components life

• Approach
• Engineering Reviews Utilized retired Detroit
  fuel systems supervising engineer to review
  vehicles to be converted
• Destructive testing of components Key
  components were dismantled and tested for
  compatibility with ethanol
• Parts comparison We compared the parts in a FFV
  with a non-FFV to understand the difference
• Literature search We reviewed the significant
  body of research to identify problem areas
• Field testing Purchased non-FFV vehicles,
  converted them and placed into daily service

• Key Findings
• Most parts in the fuel and evaporative system in
  the vehicles we reviewed are compatible with high
  concentrations of ethanol
• Parts that were not specifically designed for E85
  service performed well and achieved end of life
  requirements for the new service

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ODB II Evaporative Testing

• The design approach does not alter or modify the
  vehicles original factory power train control
  system in any way, and the factory control system
  operates as originally intended

• The On Board Diagnostic System (OBD-II) regularly
  performs circuit integrity loops to insure that
  the engine and emission systems are functioning
  properly .
• EPA requires that the OBD system be fully
  functional at all times and that a conversion
  system not alter or modify the original system.
• In order to prove to EPA that the OBD system is
  fully operational we were required to run a
  battery of destructive tests on the OBD system to
  demonstrate that an MIL would illuminate within
  an FTP test cycle when using failed components
  and/or simulators for the following
• Catalyst Monitor
• O2 sensor
• Rich / Lean misfire
• Fuel system
• EGR
• The evaporative emissions system is also tested
  as part of the testing process by loading the
  charcoal canister with butane to its maximum
  capacity, and than running an FTP to record how
  much butane the system purges over the FTP cycle.
• The canister is required to purge a minimum
  amount of butane based on the requirements of a
  two-day diurnal shed test
• The evaporative system must not setoff an MIL
  during canister purging.

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Converted Vehicle Performance

• Our technology coupled with the characteristics
  of E85 provides improved performance for the
  converted vehicles versus gasoline operation

When a converted vehicle is operating with E85
fuel, several performance improvements have been
noted in literature and in our testing

• Increased horsepower and torque by 8 to 12
  because
• E85 has 105 octane and late model electronic
  spark controlled vehicles can take advantage of
  improved spark timing
• The placement of the supplemental fuel increases
  volumetric efficiency and lowers pumping losses
  by cooling the air intake

• Cleaner Combustion zone with less carbon build-up
  and improved oil life because
• Low carbon content
• Lower combustion temperature

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Converted Vehicle Performance

• While the use of E85 reduces fuel economy, our
  experience has been better than the theoretical
  BTU decline

Although the technology wasnt developed with a
goal to minimize fuel economy loss, our
experience has been much better than the
theoretical BTU difference with losses of just
10 to 20. We believe the improvement is due to
the following

• E85 has 105 octane and most vehicles can take
  advantage by advancing the timing
• The placement of the supplemental fuel also
  lowers pumping losses by cooling the air intake
• Data that supports this claim

Fuel Economy Comparison using Federal EPA Fuel
Economy Testing Standard FTP 75
City of Chicago Police Car Conversion Results

• 25 Police vehicles were converted
• Vehicles average idle times of approximately 40
• Fuel loss on identical vehicles, gasoline to E85
  have averaged 18

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Moving Forward

• The technology is viable now and adds a critical
  strategic component to the ethanol alternate fuel
  strategy

The technology is building credibility in the
marketplace and more projects are in the works
Theres a high quality, street legal,
commercially available FFV option in the market
today

• Project approved with State of Illinois
• Scale up of a program with National Guard

• Proven track record of performance
• Its low cost and easy to install
• Simple to operate
• Maintains the factory warranty
• Product has a two year warranty

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Working in Collaboration

• The successful Alternate Fuel strategy will
  require collaboration across the entire supply
  chain and a strategy that achieves good economic
  returns

Experience to date suggests several principles
that should be adopted in the plans moving
forward

• Think big, create a National Program.
  Collaboration is needed across the entire Supply
  chain. Government (DOE, EPA, USDA, Commerce),
  Automotive Manufacturers and Dealers, Fuel
  Suppliers, Distributors, Retailers, Fleet
  managers and Automotive Technology colleges
• Make Retrofit solutions part of the plan. The
  existing legacy fleet is the largest opportunity
  to generate demand. With over 100 million
  vehicles capable of conversion, this opportunity
  is the fastest way to achieve scale in the near
  term.
• Re-align and enhance policies already in place.
  Fundamentally, policies, incentives, and grants
  need to focus on creating acceptable economic
  returns. At the Federal level, this would imply
  some policy changes and several options are
  listed below to achieve this vision
• Create competition in the Market. The fuel (E85
  or higher blends of ethanol) needs to be priced
  competitively and consistently to build
  confidence in the marketplace
• Think National, start local you cant eat an
  elephant in one bite.