Change (and challenge) is always in the air in the power equipment universe, especially when it comes to the regulatory community.
California, which is seriously considering draconian emissions laws, is serving up one of the most vexing regulatory challenges to power equipment manufacturers and equipment users these days, offers Kris Kiser, OPEI president. The state is mulling evaporative standards that are aimed at small off-road engines, including offering incentives for landscapers and homeowners to abandon their gasoline-fueled mowers, trimmers, blowers, etc. in favor of electric/battery-powered units.
“Some companies may choose to leave the marketplace, especially people offering niche products that don’t have a significant market share there. They are going to look very closely whether it’s cost effective to do business there or bring a battery product into the marketplace,” says Kiser.
Then, of course, there is the seemingly ever-present challenge to educate the users of equipment powered by small engines to avoid fuels containing more than 10 percent ethanol. Manufacturers design and warranty their engines to perform satisfactorily at no more than 10 percent ethanol. Because of misguided federal legislation a decade ago, “now we have too many gallons of ethanol chasing too few gallons of gasoline,” explains Kiser. Consequently, many stations are selling fuel with 15 percent ethanol (85 percent in many locations) and unaware power equipment users are misfueling and damaging their equipment as a result.
The OPEI has expended tremendous effort on its “Look Before You Pump” outreach program to educate users of power equipment with small engines — mowers, motorcycles, marine engines, UTVs, etc. — about the danger ethanol can do to their equipment.
The power equipment market itself, like the regulatory arena, is constantly changing. OPEI must acknowledge and help guide this change to the benefit of equipment users. For this reason, it’s relatively new Battery and Electric Products Committee is working on standards for this growing product category, says Kiser.
“We don’t favor one power source over another; we represent all of them. But there’s a significant push toward electricity and batteries,” acknowledges Kiser. He says OPEI is in the process of determining “how this shakes out in both the commercial and consumer markets,” as well as how it will be viewed by regulators.
Even more recently OPEI instituted a Robotic Electric Lawnmower Committee to oversee activities associated with the development of the ANSI/OPEI standard. It is one of more than 20 active committees within the organization, a very big challenge considering that OPEI is just over 100 member companies.
Since you can’t buy E15 or a mid-level ethanol blend, in California, assume there was another point to this article?
I’ve seen pump’s in S. Carolina that had signs that they were selling real gas. 100% old fashion real gasoline. Too bad there aren’t more places to buy it. Outdoor power sports shops should go into business like selling propane refills. Real gas keeps, it stores better over the winter, and works well in old carb engines that just don’t get much use. I’d be happy to buy it even if there were $1.00 emission tax slapped on it. For as little as you would go through it would very much be worth it, as compared to dumping out the spoiled E10 and fighting with the old carbs to get the engine to run once they are mucked up with the ethanol. I’ve seen the tiny can’s of premix fuel on the shelf in the store, but that’s just a joke. Your not going to put that in the fuel tank of a boat, or summer use only car. In my book the government’s causing people a lot of the problem here.
Mercury Marine thinks E10 may be the superior fuel to E0:
Ethanol blends last three times longer than straight gasoline according to a study from the DOE. The super toxic aromatics evaporate faster evidentially. I have not used E0 since the 80s but I remember my father commonly having varnished gasoline and stuck needles in the carburetors every spring in his small water pump engines.
https://www.theautochannel.com/news/2016/09/22/286340-new-government-lab-research-confirms-ethanol-blend-fuels-are-better.html
Brazil’s common gasoline has a minimum of 27.5% ethanol and they have the same boats and small engines we do and it has worked out so well for so long that Argentina and Paraguay are going to high levels themselves.
…Mercury Marine, which hosted a Webinar on ethanol myths, noted that ethanol does not “grab water molecules out of the air.” It is hydrophilic, which means ethanol holds water. With regular gasoline (E0) as well at E10, the primary cause of water collecting in tanks is condensation on tank walls. But unlike E0, which can absorb almost no moisture, E10 can hold up to half of one percent of water by volume, and the water molecules will dissolve in the fuel. The “solubilized” water will bypass the water separator and burn harmlessly through the engine…
…Mercury Marine also says E10 may be the superior fuel(over E0) because it keeps the fuel “dry”
http://dcd96xmek71bc.cloudfront.net/archives/email/Trade/BoatingIndustry/MythsofEthanol-August252011.mp4
If it were possible I would rather we could pick who gets cancer and who doesn’t as an alternative to an “emission tax”. Thank god we did not impose an “emission tax” over the ban on leaded gasoline because humanity can not take these toxins.
I believe there is a cut off point on the date of manufacture when engines and fuel systems were designed to handle the ethanol fuels. Please pay attention to the correlation on the fuel injection of nearly everything following the blended fuel. That is unless it is a 2 cycle engine, which also coincidentally are being replaced with fuel injected 4 cycle engines or battery power. The mix oil on the 2 cycle fuel does seem to help stabilize the blended fuel, however the oil injected 2 cycles are hit the hardest. Not sure these are being produced much these days. Possible coincidence maybe. I’m simply stating that the change in fuel forced a change in material used in the fuel systems such as viton in place of more traditional rubber as well as other components that were not plated/coated to resist corrosion but need to be in order to handle storage of the fuel. Even with all the engineering solutions its a fuel problem. While the old carbureted engines do run it, and you could prove it in a lab report, this issues appear in long term testing known as ownership. If given the option to buy gas without the blended corn oil, I know for a fact that I’m not the only guy in America that would. Even if it had a premium placed on it (as unfair as that would be). My use of the good old stuff would be towards minimal use engines, and storage situations. If you don’t like gasoline I guess there are battery power or diesel alternatives. Buy these tend to under perform in sub zero temperatures with either hard starting, or lack of battery life. Unfortunately though, these don’t appear to be cost effective or even available in many gasoline engine applications. Ever seen a diesel snow blower, or battery powered snowmobile? OK, now buy a used one with a few hundred in cash, not thousands for a new unit. If you have never had to pull off a fuel bowl in the sub zero to get a carburetor to flow clean fuel, or replace the fuel pump, or dump last seasons gas, you may never understand the problem. My view is that the fuel change neglects those folks that have been left behind and can’t afford to follow the market with modern equipment. These be the old timers and little guys that are just tryin’ to keep on keepin’ on with what that got, and have been doing so for nearly forever. A little bit of good gas on the market really isn’t too much to ask for. I hope the power equipment companies can help and lobby for this change.