[Wonder Warthog]

"Two publications, Consumer Reports and CARandDRIVER in recent road tests or on an oval track, in 2006 trials found that E85 (gasoline mixed with 85 percent alcohol) has approximately 30 percent less mileage as compared to 87 octane gasoline."

Which basically says that ethanol is a MORE EFFICIENT fuel than gasoline, based on the BTU/gallon ratios.

[SomeCallMeTim]

The answer to our energy requirments is NOT corn.... Bush is getting poor advice on this... or else, he's jus more interested in the political advantages.

[thackney]

But it is sold by the gallon, not the BTU. Miles per dollar is the efficiency most people want.

[nh1]

How do you define MORE EFFICIENT? By the way I understand efficiency, I would say gasoline is more efficient. It packs more BTU's into a gallon. Plus, it's less expensive.

[Redbob]

"Which basically says that ethanol is a MORE EFFICIENT fuel than gasoline, based on the BTU/gallon ratios."

You've got a real problem with math, don't you?

[ridesthemiles]

"Two publications, Consumer Reports and CARandDRIVER in recent road tests or on an oval track, in 2006 trials found that E85 (gasoline mixed with 85 percent alcohol) has approximately 30 percent less mileage as compared to 87 octane gasoline."
Which basically says that ethanol is a MORE EFFICIENT fuel than gasoline, based on the BTU/gallon ratios."

Not sure I am following your math here. Please clarify.
I can assure you that the horsepower and mileage on my truck is reduced when I am forced to use the blend. I have had this truck since 1986, and have kept accurate records of it's mielage. Blend doesn't help me one bit.

[Izzy Dunne]

E85 (gasoline mixed with 85 percent alcohol) has approximately 30 percent less mileage as compared to 87 octane gasoline."

Which basically says that ethanol is a MORE EFFICIENT fuel than gasoline, based on the BTU/gallon ratios.

Huh?

If you mean efficient at sucking the dollars out of your wallet, I suppose you're right.

Otherwise, I don't see how you say that.

[org.whodat]

Which basically says that ethanol is a MORE EFFICIENT fuel than gasoline, based on the BTU/gallon ratios.

You are not suppose to drink it.

[Outland]

"Which basically says that ethanol is a MORE EFFICIENT fuel than gasoline, based on the BTU/gallon ratios."

You're a publik skool victim, right?

I swear that reading comprehension and math skills in this country have severely diminsihed.

[KarlInOhio]

Brad Cloven: "Two publications, Consumer Reports and CARandDRIVER in recent road tests or on an oval track, in 2006 trials found that E85 (gasoline mixed with 85 percent alcohol) has approximately 30 percent less mileage as compared to 87 octane gasoline."

Wonder Warthog: Which basically says that ethanol is a MORE EFFICIENT fuel than gasoline, based on the BTU/gallon ratios.

Huh? If you mix 0.85 gallons of ethanol at 75,670 BTUs per gallon and 0.15 gallons of gasoline at 115,400 BTUs per gallon, you get E85 at 81629.5 BTUs / gallon (assuming that does equal 1 gallon which isn't true for some mixtures). That 81629.5 is 70.7% of the gasoline energy density, thus I would expect it to get 29.3% less mileage than gasoline. That is almost identical to the 30% reduction Car and Driver found. I think you messed up by assuming that E85 had the same energy density as ethanol.

[MarkL]

Which basically says that ethanol is a MORE EFFICIENT fuel than gasoline, based on the BTU/gallon ratios.

Huh? Ethanol has a lower BTU rating, and its Stoichiometric ratio is 9:1, rather than gasoline's 14.7:1. Given the fact that internal combustion motors are pretty much "pumps," the more air fuel mixture we can pump in and out, increases the amount of work that motor can perform.

When you figure that ethanol contains less potential energy by mass, when compared to gasoline, and the air-fuel ratio is lower, you've got a less efficient fuel.

Mark