EPA Approves E15 Ethanol-Gas Blended Fuel for Newer Vehicles
By Dave Lee
The Environmental Protection Agency has approved a higher blend of ethanol for use in gasoline, but only for vehicles built since 2007. The move will raise the amount of ethanol from 10% — called E10, which is sold at most gas pumps — to 15%, or E15. However, you might not see the new blend at the pump right away, according to our colleagues at Kicking Tires.
The effort to adopt E15 has earned support from alternative fuel advocates and corn-producing states that have urged the government to use more of the renewable resource. Congress has required fuel refiners to blend 36 billion gallons of biofuels into auto fuel by 2022, and the EPA argues that the mandate can’t be met without raising the E10 blend. E85 fuel – a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline that can be used in flex-fuel-capable vehicles — is not affected.
The change has drawn criticism from numerous groups. Engine makers caution that the new blend could lead to consumer confusion at the pump and corrode engines that don’t support E15; ranchers argue that growing more corn, from which ethanol is made, could inflate feed prices for cattle and thus supermarket prices; and environmentalists call switching to E15 a poor use of farmland and wasteful agriculture. Fuel sellers also say they’ll wait to sell the new blend until there’s more public education regarding the new fuel.
The EPA is expected to widen E15 to vehicles built since 2001 after more testing is completed next month.
[Source: Kicking Tires]
Comments
I totally agree with the ranchers and environmetalists.
Don't worry fellas its gonna be ok for ur engines.......the Gov't says so
wow, look one of Barry's solar powered unicorns......
Ever since they started adding Ethanol to fuel, my MPG has gone down! The government is made up of a bunch of morons. They want cars that get better mileage, but they're making them run on gas that's less efficient, which is a double whammy. Small engines and watercraft have suffered the most from this Ethanol and it's only going to get worst. Screw Ethanol, it's making some farmers rich and costing the rest of us a lot more money because of lower mileage.
It doesnt matter a rats ass what the EPA says is OK , does the manufacturer say its OK to run E15 .
the E10 is already wreaking havoc in power equipment and small gas engines. Great... my customers are going to LOVE hearing this. The E10 doesn't last a month as it is. This is bad news for everyone.
in the us is the only blend of gasoline availabe contain ethanol? is there such a thing down there as just normal gas?
I live in Canada and to be honest i havent really seen gasoline that contains ethanol
As a farmer I don't really mind this at all! Haha suckers!. But yeah I totally agree it's not an efficient use of farmland. It takes a lot of farmland to produce ethanol from corn. If everyone started using e85 I think there would be some major food shortage problems. But not for farmers! :)
Horrible, ethanol wastes resources that could be used to feed the poor and it actually is horrible for the engine. like chris said, it makes the mpgs worse.
FIGHT THE OPPRESSING GOVEVERNMENT
@TRVDot
I live in Ohio and have travels all over the Eastern US and so far I have only seen ONE gas station that didn't contain any ethanol... it was called Patriot Fuel and it was somewhere in the middle of no where in I believe Kentucky or West Virginia.
@TRVDot - Mohawk/Husky gas. You've heard the slogan "mother nature's fuel".
http://www.myhusky.ca/you/fuel/ethanol_blended_fuel.html
Why are we stuck on corn ethanol when ethanol from sugar cane is 6 times more potent. Corn is a poor choice for ethanol.. but hey, lets not let common sense stand in the way.
Ever since Missouri went to a 10% blend, my economy went down about 12%. Daily driver is a Hyundai Elantra which used to get 35-37 m.p.g. Now it's around 30-32. Can someone please tell me what we are gaining by this other than making farmers and mechanics rich?
I have seen that there are other ways of produce ethanol. Corn ethanol isn't the best solution. But on another note, ethanol isn't doing me any favors. My v8 Dakota might actually reach 20 mpg if it wasn't using E10.
@ TRVdot I live about an hour south of Edmonton Alberta. One of our local gas stations has been blending ethanol into the gas for a few years now. Not sure what the percentage is though.
@ Ex I recently read an article in Car and Driver about ethanol fuel. The author said that all the farm land in the US could not produce enough corn to make enough fuel to matter. He slao stated that while the sugar produces more ethanol, farm land in the US is not well suited to grow it.
this also means more miles travelled by the tractor trailer delivering fuel cause will will use more of it. We got the cafe rules and all, and they try to give you this to burn, watch your mileage drop even further. Bad enough they got so much other stuff in fuel like detergents, one company side like 5 times the detergents, right? when they put that in, just takes out the power/mileage you can get...cheeper for them. I try to get the non alc stuff in Arkansas, starting to be .08$ more a gallon. The E-85 makes good race car fuel cause it's price and octane, all I got good to say about that! But forget this 15%
I just bought a new lawn mower in the spring. On the gas cap it says use 10% max. What am I supposed to run this on?
Corn should be for starving people and animals not fuel.
You can't cure stupid. My truck runs futher on gas not corn oil brew. Now its going up 85/15 % corn oil brew from 85/ 10%. Go tell those starving people in poor countries that this is more important. This stuff will also damage your engine. Read the pump and find one that does not sell this crap. When you wake up it will be too late and expensive to replace your engine because your car can not handle it.
in my car i am able to get 30mpg with straight gas and only 27mpg with the 10% blend of alcohol. i am using (burning) the same amount of gas either way.
it cost more to produce the ethenol than gas.
even the E-85 vehicles are more efficient on gas than E-85.
i would like my tax dollars spent or save somewhere else
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