[The Great RJ]

Note gas mileage with any flex fuel vehicle using E-85 (85% ethanol gasoline blend) will be abysmal. Compared to gasoline, ethanol has about 40% less energy resulting in greatly reduced gas mileage. A few years ago the Bureau of Administration in South Dakota heavily invested in a flex fuel fleet of state vehicles. Though the heavily subsidized E-85 was 23 cents per gallon cheaper than the standard 10-percent ethanol blend, tests showed the 23-percent decrease in gas mileage with E-85 negated the cost savings. The net result was a 1.49 cent cost-per-mile operating increase in the E85 vehicles. Article

[Charles Martel]

Note also that the list of vehicles with “low greenhouse gas” ratings are mostly *not* flex-fuel. That’s tacit admission by the EPA that higher levels of ethanol in gasoline blends are not beneficial.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

The whole notion of “mileage” is ridiculous as soon as we begin talking about non-gasoline fuels. “Mileage” only makes sense if we use gasoline as the standard fuel. The only metrics that make sense are cents per mile or perhaps cents per passenger-mile or freight-mile.

I just have to laugh when the ads say electric vehicles get “over 100 mpg.” My big Expedition could get 1,000 mpg using these silly standards if I installed some massive batteries and auxiliary motors.

[nascarnation]

E85 is a great low buck racing fuel (assuming you have the compression and tuning to take advantage of the high octane) but as you say for the on road consumer it’s a loser.