Alternative Fuels Conversion Calculator

This conversion calculator enables you to quickly and easily convert various alternative fuels into their gasoline gallon equivalents, or GGEs.

To achieve this, simply enter how many alternative fuel units you wish to convert, select the type of alternative fuel you wish to convert, and click "Convert" to immediately see your results.

Understanding GGE

The energy content of different fuel types can vary greatly and a range of units are applied to measure this content, making comparing energy content quite a challenge. However, the gasoline gallon equivalent, known more commonly as the GGE, standardizes these measurements so drivers can draw direct comparisons between the energy content of different fuels, helping them determine which addresses their needs most effectively.

In sum, by quantifying how much of an alternative fuel is needed to deliver the same amount of energy as a gallon of traditional gasoline, the GGE presents a standard unit of measurement for a fuel's energy content.

British thermal units, or BTUs (also known as fuel's lower-heating value), are used to measure energy content per gallon of any fuel. In order to determine GGE, the following calculation is used:

energy content of gallon of traditional gasoline / (divided by) energy content of alternative fuel = GGE

These days, diesel and gasoline are used to power close to all the vehicles on our roads, both of which come from the non-renewable resource of petroleum. The most popular fuel, gasoline, is a mixture of hydrocarbons and sulfur, oxygen, nitrogen, various metals, and other contaminants. There are a number of alternative fuel types, with the leading alternatives including fuels based on alcohol, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), compressed natural gas (CNG), electricity, hydrogen, and vegetable oil degradation products. Below is a short description of each of these fuels.

Alternative Fuels

Biodiesel

Biodiesel fuel uses animal fats and vegetable oils to generate energy and can make use of waste oil products that have previously been used by consumers or restaurants in cooking. Properly converted engines can burn pure biodiesel, while unmodified engines can burn a mixture of biodiesel and petroleum diesel.

Ethanol

A fuel based on alcohol, ethanol is created by the fermentation and distillation of crops including wheat, barley, and corn. To boost octane levels or enhance the quality of emissions, ethanol can be mixed with regular gasoline.

CNG

Many people worldwide already make widespread use of natural gas through utility companies that deliver this clean-burning fuel to households and businesses.

LPG

Liquified petroleum gas, otherwise known as LPG or propane, is already a popular choice as an alternative fuel not just for vehicles but also for cooking and heating. LPG is a byproduct generated when natural gas is processed and during the refining process for crude oil.

Hydrogen

When combined with natural gas, hydrogen can be used to power vehicles that function using particular internal-combustion engines. It also forms part of the fuel cells used in certain electricity-powered vehicles. In vehicles that rely on fuel cells, electricity is generated when oxygen and hydrogen are brought together in a fuel 'stack' to create an electro-chemical reaction.

Electricity

The final leading alternative fuel is electricity, which is used in vehicles powered by batteries or fuel cells. A battery-powered vehicle draws energy from conventional electrical sources when the vehicle is plugged in and this power is then stored in the batteries. In contrast, a vehicle that runs on fuel cells is powered by the electricity generated by the electro-chemical reaction caused by the combination of oxygen and hydrogen. Electricity-powered vehicles produce absolutely no tailpipe emissions and overall emissions (i.e. when one factors in the emissions caused by the generation of the electricity used) are significantly lower than those that result from the use of a vehicle run on diesel or gasoline.

Alternative Fuel Conversion Formulas

Fuel Type	Measurement Unit	GGE Formula
Gasoline	Gallons	Gasoline gal = GGE
Biodiesel B100	Gallons	Biodiesel B100 gal × 1.066 = GGE
CNG @ 2400 psi	Gallons at 2400 psi	CNG gal @ 2400 psi × 0.191 = GGE
CNG @ 3000 psi	Gallons at 3000 psi	CNG gal @ 3000 psi × 0.239 = GGE
CNG @ 3600 psi	Gallons at 3600 psi	CNG gal @ 3600 psi × 0.287 = GGE
Diesel	Gallons	Diesel gal × 1.155 = GGE
Ethanol (E85)	Gallons	Ethanol E85 gal × 0.734 = GGE
Electricity	kilowatt-hours (kWh)	Electricity kWh × 0.031 = GGE
Hydrogen (gallons)	Gallons	Hydrogen gal × 0.256 = GGE
Hydrogen (kg)	kg	Hydrogen kg × 1.019 = GGE
Propane (LPG)	Gallons	LPG gal × 0.758 = GGE
Liquid Natural Gas (LNG)	Gallons at 14.7 psi and -234˚F	LNG gal × 0.666 = GGE

Source: epact.energy.gov/fuel-conversion-factors

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