IEA’s Technology Collaboration Programme on Advanced Motor Fuels (AMF) celebrates its 40th Anniversary in 2024. This is the motivation to compile a document summarising the evolvement, activities and achievements of AMF. Starting as “Alcohol and Alcohol Blends as Motor Fuels”, evolving through “Alternative Motor Fuels” to becoming “Advanced Motor Fuels”, while keeping its original acronym, AMF takes a comprehensive approach towards clean, sustainable and energy efficient transport. Starting with activities related to fuels for road vehicles, AMF now also covers non-road mobile machinery, shipping and aviation, with the focus moving towards those modes of transportation, which are difficult to electrify.

AMF is a successful platform for international collaboration. As of 2024, AMF has 14 member countries and 16 contracting parties, representing the Americas, Asia and Europe. Over the years, 56 AMF Tasks or projects have been completed. Currently there are five Tasks running, bringing the total to 63. A wealth of data and information has been collected, generated, compiled and disseminated. AMF runs a well organised information system which, among other things maintains the AMF website, enables downloading of AMF Task reports as well as special reports, produces Annual Reports and newsletters, and maintains the AMF Fuel Info System, a comprehensive data bank on fuel characteristics.

In 2023, an internal survey on the accomplishments and added value of AMF was conducted. The contracting parties are very satisfied with AMF and its activities and recognise its value. The members value the truly international network of experts, the engagement of multiple countries around the globe, sharing information and best practices, pooling resources and the capacity to set up timely research tasks. AMF is appreciated for its ability to generate unbiased data on various motor fuels, and AMF results have been used to formulate international standards as well as national transport policies.

The author of this short history of AMF is Dr. Nils-Olof Nylund, Senior Advisor at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. Dr. Nylund is well familiar with AMF, as he was the Finnish Delegate to AMF from 1990-2020, and in addition, served the Committee as Chair or Vice Chair for some 20 years. 

The author would like to acknowledge the AMF Delegates for their contributions to this history, and in particular, the contributions from Walter Mauritsch of Austria, Rachel Martins Henriques, Paula Isabel da Costa Barbosa and Angela Oliveira da Costa of Brazil, Debbie Rosenblatt of Canada, Lena Huck and Birger Kerckow of Germany and AMF’s Secretary Dina Bacovsky and Kerstin Brunbauer.

Have a closer look at AMF TCPs work and its development over the last 40 years!