Is This Gas? FlexFuel, E85 Ethanol, and BioFuel Explained

Fuel Economy Advisor — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:18:46 +0000

I recently noticed a 2009 Chevy Impala which had a “FlexFuel” designation on its trunk. Underneath, in small letters, it said “E85 Ethanol.” I asked the driver if he knew what that meant, and he said “No.” I couldn’t believe it - he didn’t know the what the flex fuel designation meant on his own car!?! It turns out there’s a whole new breed of FFV, or Flex Fuel Vehicles, out there on the market and many consumers don’t even know what they are.

First, let me explain what ethanol is. Ethanol is known by several other names: ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol. That’s right – it’s the heavy stuff we drink to get drunk. But it can be used as a fuel or fuel additive. The ironic truth is Henry Ford designed his first car, the Model T, to run completely on 100% ethyl alcohol way back in the early 1900s. But today the U.S. gov’t doesn’t allow 100% pure ethanol as a fuel.

E85 Ethanol is a type of biofuel. In the U.S. it is mainly produced by distilling corn. Not surprisingly, it’s more popular in the midwest where we have a lot of corn being grown. According to Wiki, E85 is an “alcohol fuel mixture that typically contains a mixture of up to 85% denatured fuel ethanol and gasoline or other hydrocarbon (HC) by volume.” There’s a lot of controversy around using E85 as a biofuel, since it may have an even bigger carbon footprint than traditional fuel.

E85 is a bit cheaper than gas; currently it’s about .20 to .30 cents less per gallon; of course, you’ve got to find a station which is selling it. But there are plenty of cars on the market which will run on E85, and according to Chevy, they’ve been making FlexFuel cars which will run on biofuel for the past 8 years.

Gas Mileage and Gas Prices » ethanol

Is This Gas? FlexFuel, E85 Ethanol, and BioFuel Explained

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