News Story On E85

[planedr]

This was on the news last night

http://www.9news.com/video/player.aspx?aid=34746&bw=

and this

KUSA - With record high gas prices, E-85 continues to gain popularity. At the handful of metro area service stations selling E-85, the ethanol-blended fuel is currently priced at almost a dollar-a-gallon less than regular gas.

 

 

The owners of flex-fuel vehicles - which can burn e-85 and regular gasoline - are pretty happy these days.

 

"Generally if you're filling it up, it costs anywhere from $60 to $70, with E-85 it runs about $50. So in a tank, it runs about a 10-to-15 dollar difference," said Saeed Siddiqui, owner of a flex-fuel SUV.

 

A lot of auto dealers who sell flex-fuel cars and trucks are also smiling.

 

"If they come in specifically asking for a flex-fuel vehicle and we don't have it, it is a deal breaker. They want the flex fuel," said Mark McIntire of Weld County Garage.

 

"Quite frankly, we're selling an awful lot of them and the demand for them has come up dramatically really in the last couple months since more of the stations produce E-85 fuel," said Bill Maffeo, general manager of Medved Autoplex.

 

Currently, there are only 20 stations in Colorado selling E-85, and only seven of those are in the metro area. Several service station chains are now rushing to fill the gap between demand for E-85 and available pumps.

 

"We've got a plan to open 15 sites this year. We've already opened a site in Fort Collins, we have a site open in Brighton, we have this site open, working on a site in Aurora and Parker," said Bob Van Meter of Western Gas & Convenience.

 

 

http://afdcmap2.nrel.gov/locator/FindPane.asp

Various companies are working on converter kits that they claim will make cars E-85 compatible. These manufacturers say the kit essentially helps engines run smoothly on the much leaner E-85 mix.

 

However, the Environmental Protection Agency has yet to approve a conversion kit to be legal on the road.

 

"In my view, they're not ready for primetime and it would be a risky proposition to put your vehicle in the hands of a converter without assurances that the conversion's going to work and be legal," said Wendy Clark, manager of Fuels Research Group at the National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden.

 

http://www.e85safety.com/index.php?/archiv...rsion-kits.html

Not everyone is in favor of E-85. Critics say its production uses more greenhouse gas producing fossil fuels than its use saves and E-85 is helping to drive up the price of gasoline.

 

There is also concern about driving up the price of beef because the corn is being used to create fuel. However, corn-based ethanol is first-generation ethanol. Many experts believe it will be replaced by cellulosic ethanol, which uses waste by-products, such as corn stalks, wood chips and other biodegradable matter.

 

One big knock against E-85 is that you will probably get fewer miles per gallon. http://www.businessweek.com/autos/content/...ex+page_insight

 

Ethanol boosters say people should look at it as an issue of the cost per mile traveled.http://www.ethanol.org/PressRelease5.26.05.htm

 

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/artic...s_cid=rss:site1

[s-ten]

I am not a fan of E-85 basically because it really doesn't do that much. By the time that the corn or soy beans are processed, and then counting in the lower mileage there really isn't much of an advantage. Also there is the issue that there will never be enough produce produced to support gas and food markets. Last the reason that it is any cheaper then gas is because it is subsidized by the government, other then that it is more expensive.

 

I do commend them though for trying, if they don't try they will never succeed in finding an alternate technologies.

 

Just my thoughts on it.

[vxaxv17]

As with any new technology, the first go at it is generally not that earth shattering. And one of the big things about "alternative fuels" in general is that they all compete with gasoline. And as with anything, competition is good. So while e85 may not be all that great right now, its certainly a first step..and definitely in the right direction.