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Information Related to the Development of Safety Requirements for E85 Dispensers and Components

January 2007 Status Update

On November 1&2, 2006 UL hosted a technical meeting at its Northbrook, IL headquarters with the US Department of Energy (DOE) featuring 32 national experts. The goal of the forum was to effectively gather substantive technical information related to the unique aspects of the use of high percentage ethanol fuels. At the close of the meeting, UL announced that additional technical data was necessary from forum participants.

Following the technical forum, UL received information from 12 organizations. A significant portion of the information was not substantiated with technical data or not relevant with respect to some of the material compatibility testing protocols for E85 dispensers. Some of the information also contained contradictory conclusions about the suitability of certain materials when exposed to alcohol blends. In that regard, UL must undertake additional research and outreach pursuant to developing safety requirements for E85 dispensers. Following are specific actions being executed by UL concurrently.

Running Tests to Gather Data: UL will run test programs designed to provide UL with the scientific data needed to write safety requirements. The objectives are to determine the necessary test duration to properly assess the potential degradation of materials from exposure to E85, and to determine the test conditions that are appropriate to provide that information in as short a time as is practical. We will also be harvesting product from the field and conducting tests on those products to determine the effects of ethanol fuels on certain materials. There is a strong commitment to undertaking testing as soon as possible.

Conducting Field Observations: UL is establishing a program to visit E85 sites in the field, conduct visual inspections and gather any available information related to the performance of E85 dispensers in the marketplace. Field observations will focus on the US and Brazilian markets.

Ongoing Information Gathering and Outreach: UL will continue to contact and visit technical experts and other industry stakeholders to gather information currently available in the market.

UL is also establishing an "Ethanol Technical Panel" of technical experts from around the world and across industries with expertise in ethanol material compatibility. We will continue to execute the activities outlined above as quickly as possible, while providing regular updates to industry.

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