The Clean Fuel Achievement Award

The IDA seeks to honor those companies, organizations and individuals that have made noteworthy contributions to the understanding, development, or commercialization of DME for fuel applications. The DME Clean Fuel Achievement Award (“the DME Award”) recognizes entities who – in the eyes of their peers – have made noteworthy contributions to the development and commercialization of dimethyl ether for fuel applications. Nominations for the award are submitted by IDA members, and the awardees chosen from from among them by the IDA's Board of Directors.

Most recently, two industry leaders were honored with DME Clean Fuel Achievement Award at the 8th International DME Conference in Sacramento, California in 2018. In a ceremony in the Hyatt Regency Sacramento’s roof terrace ballroom overlooking the California State Capitol, IDA Chair Dr. Rebecca Boudreaux presented the Award to Ford Motor Company and Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Internal Combustion Engine Research Institute (SJTU-ICEI). 

Ford was honored for the company’s investments in and leadership of numerous important projects and initiatives involving the development and evaluation of light- and medium-duty vehicles running on DME, on-road demonstrations now underway or planned in Europe and North America involving the Ford Mondeo, Transit, and F250 pickup, and the recently established industry Powertrain and European Regulatory Task Forces. Powertrain Combustion Systems Technical Specialist Dr. Werner Willems accepted the Award on behalf of Ford.

SJTU’s Internal Combustion Engine Research Institute (SJTU-ICEI) was recognized for its important long-term commitment and the many significant contributions it has made over more than fifteen years to DME engine and vehicle research and development in China. Contributions by the SJTU-ICEI include publication of the first national standards for DME as an automotive fuel, the design and development of three generations of DME EURO-compliant engines, and, in cooperation with industry, the development and demonstration of buses and trucks running on DME, including the world’s first DME bus route in commercial operation. SJTU Vice President and Institute Director Professor Zhen Huang accepted the Award on behalf of the University.

Oberon Fuels received the award in 2014 for the company's leadership in numerous areas critical to the successful introduction of DME as a fuel in North America: from specification and standard setting, to RFS qualification and industry investment by OEMs.

In 2010 the award was presented in Stockholm during the 4th International DME Conference (DME 4) to Volvo for the company's important long term commitment to DME. Volvo has provided consistent leadership in the industry with several generations of heavy duty vehicles running on DME, and demonstrations in Europe and North America.

The first DME Award was presented to the ENN Group in Shanghai at the 3rd International DME Conference (DME 3) in 2008.  In 2009, on the occasion of the 6th Asian DME Conference in Seoul the award was given to Japan's DME Vehicle Promotion Committee (DMEVPC), honoring the consortium's commitment and substantial contributions to the development of DME as an automotive fuel in Japan.

 
2010 | Award presentation to Volvo                                            2009 | Award presentation to DMEVPC