Accelerating the Introduction of High-Octane, Low-Carbon (HOLC) Fuels in the United States

The briefing advocates for the co-design of high-octane fuels and vehicle engines to improve fuel economy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. transportation sector. It highlights the role of ethanol as a cost-effective octane source and details infrastructure progress, such as UL certification for E25 and testing for E30 and E40. The document also identifies eight bio-blendstocks from the DOE's Co-Optima initiative for further evaluation and notes engine testing conducted by Oak Ridge National Lab and industry partners.

• The document proposes a timeline where high-octane, low-carbon fuels are introduced to consumers by 2020 and become broadly available to support the 2050 fleet by 2025.
• Infrastructure developments include the manufacture of fuel dispensers certified for E25 by Wayne Fueling Systems and the Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership, which provided over $200 million in financing for intermediate ethanol blend infrastructure.
• The DOE's Co-Optima initiative identified eight bio-blendstocks for rigorous assessment: Ethanol, Isopropanol, Isobutanol, N-propanol, Cyclopentanone, Diisobutylene, Furan Mixture, and Aromatics.
• High-octane fuels, specifically ethanol, are presented as a cost-effective way for automakers to implement higher efficiency internal combustion powertrains to meet stringent emissions standards, as current 'Premium' fuel is insufficient in octane rating and too expensive.
• Vehicle and engine testing using high-octane, mid-level ethanol blends has been conducted by Oak Ridge National Lab and partners on various engines, including a Ford EcoBoost, Cadillac ATS, and Mini Cooper.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (n.d.). Accelerating the Introduction of High-Octane, Low-Carbon (HOLC) Fuels in the United States. https://www.eesi.org/files/Accelerating-HOLC-fuels.pdf

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Accelerating the Introduction of High-Octane, Low-Carbon (HOLC) Fuels in the United States. n.d. https://www.eesi.org/files/Accelerating-HOLC-fuels.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=Accelerating the Introduction of High-Octane, Low-Carbon (HOLC) Fuels in the United States |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/Accelerating-HOLC-fuels.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitutendaccelerating, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{Accelerating the Introduction of High-Octane, Low-Carbon (HOLC) Fuels in the United States}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/Accelerating-HOLC-fuels.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }