Posted on 01/21/2011 11:38:03 AM PST by tobyhill
The Environmental Protection Agency said Friday that cars and light trucks in the 2001 model year and later could safely use a blend of 15 percent ethanol mixed with gasoline, up from the 10 percent standard now in much of the country. The decision means that about 62 percent of all vehicles can now use the fuel.
But the practical impact of the announcement on the fuel blend, known as E15, was not clear. An announcement in October that cars in the 2007 model year and later could use the blend has so far had little impact on retailers or drivers. A new fuel requires multiple approvals from many agencies. And retailers are typically not set up to offer an additional grade of gasoline at their pumps, meaning that if they wanted to sell E15, they would have to stop selling something else.
The ethanol industry is facing a problem selling its product because overall gasoline sales are down even while its production is up. In addition, while many cars have been produced that can run on an 85 percent ethanol blend, known as E85, very few gasoline retailers outside the Midwest actually sell the fuel. Automakers had expressed concern that the E15 blend could harm older model cars.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
....and don’t forget at $5.oo a gallon! God help us!
That is a shame since ethanol costs more than gasoline. In a free (unsubsidized) market, pure gasoline would cost less than a gasoline-ethanol mix. This whole push towards ethanol has got to be costing our government a fortune.
Another example of why socialism sucks.
The corn growers(democrats) in the midwest are pushing this. An even bigger problem is that we’re using animal feed to run our cars. If you think the cost of meat is high now, you “ain’t seen nothin’ yet”. Commodities are high and getting higher. And the farmers are going to go with what pays the best. BTW if you own a boat, becareful. Snow blowers and lawn mowers are small potato’s in comparison.
Say goodbye to your two stroke outboards, chainsaws. Many boaters have experienced problems with the 10% mandated fuel soaking up water in as little as two weeks and their automotive based stern drives need major repairs. The recomendation is that one leave as little fuel as possible in the tanks and to fill only what they will consume in the two week time frame.
Tell me when the RINOs start seriously working on this.
[crickets]
America -- a great idea, didn't last.
We need to make them do it. If the Tea Party can defeat entrenched RINOs, it can make Republicans act like they have backbones.
Americans with backbones need to stand up to be counted. What can we lose?
Pawlenty was behind increasing it here. We call him mister green jeans.
I can still get ethanol-free automotive gasoline easily, but if I couldn’t I would put av-gas (actually 100LL) in the two strokes. As it is I am checking for Ethanol before any gas is put in the bikes and outboard, just to be on the safe side. The outboard has diaphragm type pumper carbs with no replacement parts available. So far when the distributor has stated there is no ethanol my testing verified the claim. Also using a double dose of Stabil or Stabil Marine because the fuel does tend to sit for months.
I have no choice here in Western NY except for racing fuel (Cam2) for $7.99/gal. The marina’s used to get no-ethanol fuels but not any more. The distributors cannot get it because NYS has mandated 10% ethanol in all fuels sold in NY.
Why not 100LL at a rural airport? Sometimes you can pull the boat trailer right up to the pump if it faces the street.
I won’t ever use it. I have one place I can still get straight gas without any ethanol in it.
Fact is, the metal in the engine might be able to, but what will it do to the 2001 seals and gaskets? And the thick rubber gas line that’s been there since 2001?
Ethanol is not even needed anymore. todays engines adjust their burn rates (air intake, richness of gas used) by their computer-controlled fuel injection. There is no need for ethanol to make the burn more complete. Computer does it all now. Cars cannot get ‘out of tune’ and waste gas like older cars with carburators.
ethanol is totally unnecessary in the age of computer controlled fuel injection. Yes this won’t cover the miniscule amount of cars that are carburator cars but over 99% of cars regularly on the road were built in 1984 or later and have computer fuel injection.
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