Mar 17, 2008

Will Your Fuel Include More Ethanol?

There is a move afoot in the Midwest to increase the percentage of ethanol in conventional vehicle fuel, but others are asking why and how much will it cost?  The resolution of the conflict could not only affect your fuel costs, but also your food costs.

Today, a gasoline/ethanol blend called E10 is commonly sold at thousands of gasoline stations across the country, and most consumers are unaware that they are purchasing it rather than pure gasoline. Furthermore, in many areas of the United States, it is virtually impossible to buy non-E10 fuel. Now promoters of ethanol, largely agricultural interests, are pushing for a new blend of 20 percent ethanol/80 percent gasoline, which has been dubbed, unimaginatively, E20.

A pair of recent studies by researchers in Minnesota found that E20 could be used by today’s engines and fuel systems with no modifications, just like E10, but others are not convinced. They note that even 10-percent ethanol mixtures have had ill effects, especially in boats, and that moving to an even higher concentration of ethanol might be asking for trouble. Additionally, they note that, since most American-made ethanol is derived from corn, a shift to more ethanol in motor fuel could have adverse effects on food prices.