Found this story on the AutoWeek website:
(09:36 Oct. 18, 2001)
No more 92: Premium octane rating drops in California
By JEFF SABATINI
While it's hardly news compared to rolling blackouts, Californians are now dealing with another energy crisis: In August, the octane rating of premium gasoline in the state quietly dropped from 92 to 91.
For many, the drop in octane won't make much of a difference, as most late-model vehicles that need premium fuel only require 91—and most will even run on 87, albeit with reduced performance when the knock sensor kicks in and retards the timing. Hardest hit: Owners of older, carbureted cars and trucks or those running hot-rodded engines; it's hard to lower compression once you've dropped in those flat-top pistons.
And the owners of Porsches with fuel filler flaps that clearly recommend 93 octane? Don't worry, your cars are designed to accommodate fuel as low as 91 (it says so in your owner's manual). And the difference between 92 and 91 isn't all that great.
“I don't think you will notice,” says Walter Lewis, Porsche senior compliance engineer. “On a dyno you might, but it would be very minor.”
Okay, but what happened? Another Big Oil conspiracy? The work of the notorious California Air Resources Board? Well, as is anything involving energy and California, it's complicated.
It started when Kinder Morgan, the company that owns the primary gasoline pipeline in California, surveyed its customers in April. Spokesperson Rick Rainey says Kinder Morgan asked over 100 refiners and distributors how the company could better serve them; nearly all of them asked to start running 91-octane premium through the pipeline instead of 92. On Aug. 1, Kinder Morgan made the switch. As the vast majority of gasoline sold in the state at some time travels through this pipeline, 92 in California disappeared as quickly as a Barry Bonds line drive.
So it's that simple—until you ask “Why?”
First, there's the environmental angle. California Gov. Gray Davis banned the use of gas additive methyl tertiary butyl ether in the state by 2003. MTBE is a carcinogen that can leak into and contaminate ground-water, but it's also the primary oxygenate additive that California refiners use in reformulated gasoline. It also boosts octane; thus it's useful in blending premium gas.
The impending ban has created a widespread fear of gasoline shortages. According to Chevron repre-sentative Lou Gibbs, this is because the planned MTBE replacement, ethanol, cannot be added to gasoline in as high proportion as MTBE; thus the total capacity of the refineries will be reduced. The refineries are already running at full capacity today, says Gibbs, so the move to 91 is a step to stave off the perceived shortfall.
Of course, there's another side to the story, one that's more about money. In 1994, Unocal was awarded the first of five patents for reformulated gasoline, none of which use an oxygenate additive like MTBE or ethanol. Most major refiners are loath to license the formulas, as evidenced by a six-year legal battle over the validity of the initial patent, one that Unocal won. But, as Gibbs explains, Unocal's patents for premium gasoline are for the 92-octane variety; 91 is not covered. Therefore, the switch to 91 may just be an end-around by the refineries to avoid paying licensing fees.
The story may not be over, though it seems likely Californians will have to live with 91 as the peak octane. Recent reports, however, indicate that the infrastructure necessary to handle ethanol in the required volumes doesn't yet exist—and there's some question about whether ethanol can be produced in sufficient quantity to supply California's demand—so Gov. Davis may push back his 2003 ban on MTBE.
Gawd it is so great to be living in Kalifornia again... :rolleyes:
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