[jjw]

I wonder if those who are paying for E85 realize they aren’t saving any money? If I remember correctly, ethanol is only 70% as efficient as gasoline. Which means a pretty good drop in mileage. Break even works out to $2.51/gal. (I took 70% of the price of gasoline to arrive at my figure.)

I think everyone here needs to get out of this bizarre hype and do their own math. Correctly.

E85 is only 15% ethanol. So do reduce your mileage you need to reduce to 85% (the part from gas) and 70% of 15% = 10.5% (the part from ethanol. This would make the efficiency of E85 95.5% that of gasoline.

[lesser_satan]

I’m pretty sure E-85 is 85% ethanol, not 15%.

[TLI]

Ya need to correct your correction...

E85 is blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. Its benefits include reduced emissions of greenhouse gases and a reduced dependence on petroleum. GM is the leader in E85 production models, with more than 2.5 million E85-capable cars, trucks and SUVs on the road – with more on the way. Chevrolet offers seven E85-capable models in 2008.

[stylin_geek]

I don’t mind being corrected, as I didn’t know E85 was gasoline/ethanol mixture.

However, get off your high horse and try posting in a respectful manner.

By the way, I did the math correctly, based on E85 being pure ethanol.

[gogogodzilla]

It’s the other way around. E85 is 85% ethanol.

What’s sold regularly at gas stations is E10 or E15.

[MarkL]

E85 is only 15% ethanol. So do reduce your mileage you need to reduce to 85% (the part from gas) and 70% of 15% = 10.5% (the part from ethanol. This would make the efficiency of E85 95.5% that of gasoline.

Actually, you've got that backwards. E85 is 85% ethanol, 15% gasoline. E10 and E15 are common, using ethanol as an oxygenator, but even there, you'll find a marked reduction in gas mileage and power - enough to notice. This is also is why you have to have a "Flex Fuel" car in order to use E85. If you don't, the car simply can't deal with the different fuel/air mixture requirements, and as a bonus, if you can get it to run at all, expect to have some serious repair bills in the not too distant future, as you'll probably need to replace fuel lines, seals, and valve guides at the very least.

Mark

[wita]

First, I would need to know what bizarre hype we are talking about,

The statement, “This would make the efficiency of E85 95.5% that of gasoline” looks like bad math to me, when mileage figures indicate otherwise. IOW how does a 15 to 40% reduction in the distance one is able to travel, on ethanol vs gasoline, translate into only a 4.5% reduction in efficiency? Depending of course on the level of ethanol/water in your tank, from 10% to 25% added to gasoline if our pump stickers are correct.