Higher octane gasoline could be coming to pumps for 2025

Automakers call for higher octane to fuel increasingly turbocharged downsized engines

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” says Grundler. 

The increase in octane would allow manufacturers to build turbocharged and supercharged engines with more boost without pre-detonating. Many manufacturers are increasingly leaning towards 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?