E85 vs E10

What the hell, Bob ?????

Since when is any Prius model approved for anything higher than E20 ?
Answer: Never and none.

I consider this post to be irresponsible because it might encourage someone to put E85 in their car and end up with engine damage.

 

It wasn't THAT long ago.
I remember the thread.

There has to be a reason Priuses are limited to E<50, probably discoverable by longitudinal data.
Years ago when I was in South America E100 was common and Brazil hardly insignificant economically speaking.

Two things can be true at once.
E50 might be the most efficient blend AND there might be a reason that the mothership won't slap even their paltry 60,000 mile warranty on a car that they catch running E21.
Our domestic fleet has had FFVs for years and decades, so E>50 vehicles with factory warranties are at least technologically achievable.
Alternative Fuels Data Center: Flexible Fuel Vehicles
https://www.jdpower.com/cars/shopping-guides/flex-fuel-guide-everything-you-need-to-know

There are probably 100 threads in this forum spouting falsehoods that would make FNS and CNN both very proud.
Like our good friend Bob, I want to see real-world, physical DATA.
Economics and politics almost certainly play a role in this endless debate, but MATH doesn't care about people's feelings.
If hooched-up gas is less efficient than E0 (x) and also less expensive ( y ) it seems to be an even easier math problem than BEV versus ICEV.
ME?
I'm personally agnostic on Ethanol.
In a fair and just world gas stations should sell E0 AND E-100 and all of the usual flavors in between.

As a nation we have a MUCH larger BMI problem than a hungry kid problem.
I say this both as a person who has one of the last remaining 'school lunch ladies' in the country as a family member, and also as a member of a church with a vibrant food outreach program.
This has NOTHING to do with a lack of food in this country.
As a nation, we like simple, one-step solutions to complex problems.
Diet pills. Ineffective laws. Government checks.

We use corn in this nation to fatten up kids (HFCS) bulk up cattle and make hooch.
Some of the 'prettier ears' wind up in cans and wrapped in plastic over at the Food Whole.
SO using corn for fuel MIGHT just be the best way to use the stuff.
No US soldier or sailor was ever killed or wounded in a war for corn.

 

In Brazil, Toyota has been selling E100 capable vehicles for many years and just recently announced plans finally offer a hybrid that can run on an ethanol blend.

 

Reliability, with a connection to fires, is a big concern for the car manufacturer. Putting a tank of E20 in a model that says E10 only won't end the world. Doing so for thousands of miles runs the risk of fuel leaks and ruptures lines as the ethanol degrades the rubbers and plastics. It could even corrode some metals.

Running higher ethanol content than allowed will void the warranty, and there is a non-zero chance of fire.

I've seen reports that E30 to E40 blends result is better efficiency per unit of fuel energy than straight gasoline. E30 is also the point at which phase separation is no longer a concern. Wanted to test it in the flexfuel Ranger, but the closest station with E85 to eventually open up near me was in the center of Philly.

Today, I have to go to south Virginia to see E15. Which I've put into the Camry. Subaru doesn't want that with their non-turbo engine.

The issue with E85 in the US was that the flexfuel engines was based off low compression, regular octane engines. Which meant they couldn't take full advantage of ethanol's properties as a fuel. The Ford test in mentioned in the video, may have had stock hardware, but I suspect they tweaked the software for the higher ethanol blends.

Ethanol blends is an interesting topic. Alternative fuels that only be used in new cars, with limited stations, isn't going to help with carbon and other emissions for the existing ICE fleet.

Brazil flexfuel is E20 to E100. I think Honda has a model that can use E0 to E100.

The Prius is marketed as a luxury car in Brazil.Toyota likely wasn't feeling much pressure for an ethanol powered hybrid, because of the systems price tag there.

 

No not any better.
Maybe worse, as it plainly says "To avoid a check engine light, I found a blend for E50 worked best."

Misleading and pointless too.