Commentary

The E85 Basics

The summer driving season has arrived, and so has the annual summer increase in the price of gasoline. This has amplified interest in E85, an alternative fuel that can be used by many existing vehicles without modification. E85 is 85% ethanol and 15% unleaded gasoline.

Cars that can use both E85 and normal gasoline are called flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs). Currently there are almost six million FFVs on the roadways in the United States. The majority of owners of these vehicles don't know that they have the option of using E85. To find out if your vehicle is an FFV, check your gas tank lid or the inside of your gas tank door for E85 labeling, or check your owner's manual. Mechanically, an FFV is almost identical to a vehicle that runs entirely on unleaded gasoline. There is only one major additional part—the fuel sensor that detects the ethanol/gasoline ratio—although a number of other parts in the vehicle's fuel delivery system are modified to be tolerant of the alcohol content in E85.

How about dependability? "We have seen no difference in dependability between gasoline-only vehicles and the flex-fuel vehicles we have serviced," says David Hunn, service manager for Ed Bozarth Chevrolet in Aurora, a AAA Approved auto repair facility.

One concern among motorists considering purchasing a flex-fuel vehicle is how easy it will be to find E85. As EnCompass went to print, there were 21 stations in Colorado that provide E85. The number is steadily increasing.

Is an FFV a good alternative for motorists looking to save money? While a tank of E85 may cost less than a tank of gasoline, it also gives motorists 20-30% less mileage per gallon. For example, the Chevrolet Impala is rated at 21 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway when using gasoline. When using E85, this drops to 16 mpg city and 23 mpg highway. The question of which fuel is cheaper per mile depends on how much more expensive gasoline is than E85 at any given time.

A plus for some motorists is that E85 has a higher octane level than gasoline, often resulting in more horsepower.

E85 has often been referred to as a cleaner alternative to gasoline. The American Coalition for Ethanol states: "Air quality has improved in every city, county and state which has switched from straight gasoline use to ethanol-blended fuel." However, this was questioned by a recent Stanford University study that concluded if E85 were used as frequently as gasoline in the United States, the pollution would be as bad if not worse.

Unfortunately, until E85 is more commonly used, it is unlikely that there will be any definitive answer to this question.