Compared to gasoline, methanol is much less persistent in the environment, is significantly less toxic to marine life and is more environmentally benign. In the laboratory and in the field, studies have found that methanol can be degraded in aerobic and anaerobic environments much faster than gasoline components such as benzene. The price tag to phase in methanol fueling capability is reasonable, and the benefits enormous. Methanol can be competitively priced against gasoline at the pump. With a broader network of retail energy stations, the price for a gallon of methanol would likely come down further still.
Methanol is one of the safest fuels.
The Indianapolis 500 has used methanol exclusively since the mid-1960s for its fire safety advantages and performance characteristics. In 1986, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency noted there were 180,000 vehicles fires in which gasoline was the first material to ignite. Since methanol burns slower and cooler than gasoline, a switch to methanol could save 720 lives and prevent nearly 3,900 serious injuries each year. The fact is methanol will always be easier to reform than gasoline. It will also be cleaner, cooler and less expensive.