Higher octane gasoline could be coming for 2025
The days of full-blooded Sunoco 260 are gone but automakers have been calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to make higher octane fuel available to the public. And the EPA will consider adding more potent fuels at its usual glacial pace.
The news comes from comments made by the EPA’s Christopher Grundler at an industry conference.
“For us to intervene and set fuel standards, we need to show that there is an air-quality benefit or that, absent regulations, that it is somehow inhibiting the after-treatment or other parts of the vehicle. And that the benefits outweigh the costs” Grundler said.
The increase in octane would allow manufacturerstobuildturbocharged and supercharged engines with more boost without pre-detonating.
Many manufacturers are increasingly leaning toward downsized turbocharged engines versus larger naturally aspirated units to meet fuel economy targets. As displacement decreases, the boost has to increase to maintain acceptable power levels.
The EPA says that the changes (if any) won’t come into effect until after new Corporate Average Fuel Economy regulations take effect in 2025. But while Canadians make do with 87 octane regular fuel and 94 octane premium, Europeans have been living with 95 octane regular and 100 octane premium. Maybe it’s time to catch up.
Mazda’s juicy (and often most heartbreaking) rumour — the return of a rotary-powered RX sports car successor — just got a lot juicier.
According to a report from Australia’s Motoring, Mazda executives have “formally” green-lit the design and production for the latest iteration of the RX-series sports car. The car is expected to carry the RX-9 nameplate and debut as a prototype in 2017, followed by a production version in 2019 before it hits dealers in 2020.
Exact details are still under wraps, but Mazda has made it known it’s working on a new Skyactiv rotary engine.
Rumour has it the 1.6-litre twinturbo rotary engine will have a hybrid electric assist of some sort, pushing somewhere around 400 horsepower to the rear wheels.
Of course, all of this is best taken with a grain of salt; Mazda hasn’t given an official confirmation just yet, and we’ve had our hearts broken before over rumoured RX successors.