I was going to say, “this is old news”, then I saw the date on the article. :)
Ethanol has 60% of the BTUs of gasoline, meaning if your vehicle gets 20 MPG on gasoline it would get 12 MPG on pure ethanol.
E15 would give you 18.8 MPG.
Aside from the damage it does to your engine seals.
Ethanol is damaging to rubber components, and it draws moisture from the atmosphere - turning into corrosive compounds that damage aluminum and aluminum alloys.
Even the old E10 standard created more engine damage for small engines than bad gasoline in general.
Ethanol contains significantly less energy per liter than regular gasoline, thus even with the most advanced engine control computers, fuel economy is less than with straight gasoline. The higher the Ethanol content, the more impact it has on mileage.
Considering that E10 is not advised for most small engines - how much more so is it a problem at E15 concentrations?
In your automobile - most are “certified” for up to E10 (and even then, the long-term impact is not particularly good). E15 exceeds the ratings and testing of most E10 compatible vehicles.
They should stop putting alcohol in fuel period.
It was sold to the public in the beginning as a way to ‘stretch’ our fuel dwindling supplies, which now is bogus, with fracking making us a net oil exporter.
Alcohol is not for everyday use as a fuel.
Stretching fuel supplies by adding alcohol is like stretching your ground beef supplies by adding filet mignon.....................it’s stupid!...................
The fix for this one particular ethanol problem is easy. Treat your tank to some Pri-G.
Every place I have seen E15 and E85 for sale, they are dispensed though different hoses from the E10 blends.