E85 - 5 million cars on the road now

There are a few, I know the impala is E85 capable.

 

Weird, I had checked GM's "Go Yellow" website earlier, no E85 cars listed, now they list the Monte Carlo and the Impala. Is that for all engines in those vehicles?

Nate

 

This isn't rocket science and there is no mystery. Ethanol has 33 percent less energy than pure gasoline.

That means we can easily figure out what a SUV using E85 will get for MPG. Say it pulls off an amazing 20 MPG average (he said sarcastically) using gas. 85 percent of that is 17 MPG. The energy reduction from that ethanol portion is 5.61 MPG. Subtracting that from the original value you get 14.39 MPG.

Interesting, eh?

If you thought the "cost effective" calculations for hybrids were a point of contention, just wait until people try to figure this out. The price for ethanol can vary tremendously. It is typically taxed much less than gas. In Minnesota where E10 is the only type of "gas" available, the price of E85 is around 40 to 50 cents less per gallon... but without as much fluctuating, so finding a basis of comparison with gas will be difficult.

Whatever the case, the numbers are messy. So you wonder what the heck people will make of the push GM is now making for E85 use in non-hybrid vehicles.

 

AFAIK, all cars can use at least E10, but most states only mandate it's use during winter months as a smog control device. Mandate it's use year round, and a market that exceeds supply is created overnight.

This is why E85 vehicles are just PR spin -- well, in addition to the manufacturers gaining CAFE credits for 'flex-fuel' vehicles.

I sure would like to read something of substance for once coming out of Detroit. Between E85 and hydrogen, they are batting zero.

 

Interesting little write up there.

 

It's interesting that his collegues don't agree with him. Pimetel's arguements have been dismissed by many for using outdated information to arrive his conclusions. This is all largely irrelevant anyways because cellulose ethanol will probably eclipse corn ethanol in the coming years. It certainly has the potential to produce far more ethanol with a much lower carbon foot-print.

No corn ethanol isn't some silver bullet. No we'll never be able to produce enough of it. Yes, it looks to be marginally better than gasoline on the environmental side. This guy's flogging a dead horse.