Worldwide Fuel Charter 2019 – Methane-based transportation fuels

The use of methane-based fuels for transportation has grown rapidly in recent years, and the quality of these fuels varies widely around the world. As a result, the Committee saw a need to provide information about these fuels and how to match their quality with the needs and capabilities of modern vehicle and engine technologies.

This first edition of the WWFC for Methane-based Transportation Fuels, which you can download by clicking here, presents recommended fuel quality specifications for markets with the most advanced motor vehicles and engines as well as for markets with less advanced vehicles and engines.

As an alternative fuel, methane-based fuels have the potential to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance the sustainability of hydrocarbon-based fuels. The key to achieving the best available performance with the least environmental impact is to produce high quality methane-based fuels in a sustainable way and to preserve their quality throughout the distribution system until the fuel reaches the consumer.

This document represents our best collective judgment based on experience with these fuels. Technical information and field data will continue to evolve, however, so we will strive to update this document periodically as we learn more.

• In addition to this Charter, the WWFC Committee recently also published the sixth edition of the Worldwide Fuel Charter for Gasoline and Diesel Fuel, which can be found here.

About the WWFC

The purpose of this Charter and the accompanying Guidelines is twofold. First of all, they inform policymakers and other interested parties about the key role of fuel quality in engine and vehicle operation, durability and emissions. Secondly, their purpose is to promote harmonised fuel quality worldwide in accordance with vehicle, engine and emission control system needs, for the benefit of consumers and the general environment.