Brazil is proving that technology solutions to oil dependence issues already exist, as demonstrated by the impending launch of a world first Tetrafuel^® vehicle.

Last month in Chicago, speaking on Iraq war and terrorism, President Bush surprisingly raised the issue on flex-fuel or bi-fuel cars. Following this, Mr. Bush has insisted on the proposal to use alternative energy sources to displace oil, claiming on the need to expedite the  technology development to make it a real possibility. Some few days previously to Mr. Bush’s speech, the Washington Post  had published a report under the title “GM hides their most efficient cars – in Brazil”.

The Post reporter has spent some days in São Paulo, driving Flex Power  models  in the GM testing track, and wrote: “I have left GM-Brazil asking how a global company, with so many capable and creative people, can do some stupid things, such as keeping their best models out of a market that is desperately in need of them”.  In this case, the market is the American one. It is difficult to avoid saying that Mr. Bush’s dream is a reality, in Brazil.

In May, from the total Brazilian light vehicles production, 76% have been manufactured with flex-fuel engines. The auto makers have been forced to anticipate this production level, expected to be met only in 2010. The great demand for this technology has resulted from gasoline price increases. Flex fuel vehicles have been produced locally since 2003, but at a lower production rate. A recent development of this technology is the tetra-fuel engine, which is capable to run on natural gas, besides gasoline, gasohol or ethanol. This gives the customer an additional protection against a simultaneous ethanol and gasoline price increases.

The new technology is a result of efforts made by Robert Bosch initially, and more recently, Magneti Marelli, a Fiat group company.  The new Fiat Siena 1.4 Tetrafuel ® will be available to the market at the end of July. The car is totally assembled in the production line and the customer has a full OEM warranty on the vehicle. Fuel changes are automatically made by an electronic control unit, without any impact on vehicle performance.  Engine startup is made with gasoline and automatically changes to natural gas, which is the best economical choice. If one fuel is not available, the system automatically changes to the other. The vehicle is capable to accelerate from zero to 100 km/hr in 17.0 seconds on natural gas, versus 15.3 for gasoline or 15.0 for ethanol. 

This technology gives the customer the power to decide which fuel he wants to use in his car, and eliminates potential restrains resulted from higher oil, ethanol or even natural gas prices and shortages. The customer is not tied anymore to a decision made today, that may turn out to be wrong tomorrow, due to circumstances beyond his control.  This technology brings to the stage all available options the customer may have in terms of energy for their vehicle, and is a recognition of the role of natural gas as a valid and optimal alternative to replace conventional fuels. From an energy security viewpoint this technology is also an extraordinary tool to be used by government, that now has more than one option to work with, in case of energy supplying to keep a healthy and continuous country growth.