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E85
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Posted by bo on May 23, 2004 at 04:11:25 from (12.75.106.158):
Just thought I would try to start a discussion of the benefits of E85...ethanol fuel. Briefly, for those who don't know, E85 and E10 stands for the quantity of ethanol that is mixed with gas. e85 means that 85% of ethanol is mixed with 15% gas and e10 has 10%. E10 can be used in existing cars because there is so little of it that it's water attracting properties and corrosion properties are limited.E 85 requires a multifuel engine and components. Some cars/trucks are now built that way. Ethanol can be distilled from any vegatable matter that can be distilled and has sugar in it. Corn is mostly used. Brazil uses quite a bit of it in a few million cars. Now I've been mildly ripped when I disagreed that E85 will save the earth and your autos. Sure, it's renewable but my contention is that if it comes into heavy usage, it won't reduce the price of gas at all. Here is a summary of some quick facts...ethanol comes in a higher octane...it'll boost hp about 5%. It is a cleaner burning fuel. It'll provide a greater market for existing farmers growing corn, sugar beets and such. That's about it for the benefits of the stuff. The negatives...ethanol doesn't give you the same milage that gas does. Gas has more btu's per unit than e85 and e 85 will give you roughly 5-8 mpg less than gas. It is priced to be competitive with regular gas. You can't fill up everywhere as you can with gas. I don't know if multifueled engines are priced higher but that would be a negative. More negatives, if e85 comes into heavy usage, the distribution of fuel is still with huge gas companies and they'll charge whatever the market will bring and we already know that silly boycots, screaming on boards and such won't work. The production of corn and such is locked up with huge businesses and the distillation of ethanol is also with large businesses and they will get larger. They will have no interest in getting competitive and dropping the price of multifuel because there is no one to get competitive with. Subsequently, you'll wind up paying about the same per gallon for e85 but get less mpg and that translates into paying more. The only way this might..might work is if e85 starts to burn OPEC and they drop the price of oil and then e 85 will have to compete with that. For those who call upon the government to get involved..be careful for what you wish. If the government sniffs out, and they have, that this stuff is cleaner burning, and it is, they'll mandate this and the end result is that we'll all be using this stuff and then you'll see the price of fuel really shoot up. Having said that, about the only way that you can save yourselves from higher fuel costs is to drive less "weight"...takes less fuel to move less weight. Simple really. One aside...for the older, wiser on this board.. note that over the years, gas shoots up in price to some high and then backs off a bit. The public gets used to the backed off price and they think they have a bargain..sort of like taking 3 steps forward and 1 backward and the public is happy..this has happened repeatedly over the years and you know it. Now, the fuel is over $2/ and it'll back off abit and all will be happy. You'll factor in the higher cost and go on with life. Some time in the future..it'll go up 3 steps again and backoff 1 and we'll be happy once again. This has nothing to do with the government, it's all business and if any of you were CEOs responsible to your stockholders, you would do the same. I'm ducking now.
Follow Ups:
- Re: E85 Neil 21:39:59 05/23/04
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- Re: E85 fixerupper 17:45:46 05/23/04
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- Re: E85 Paul in Mich 16:37:56 05/23/04
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- Re: E85 paul 12:49:50 05/23/04
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- Re: E85 fixerupper 07:26:00 05/23/04
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- Re: E85 Shane 07:01:52 05/23/04
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- Re: E85 Brokenwrench 06:34:58 05/23/04
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- Re: E85 kyhayman 06:12:39 05/23/04
(2)
- Re: E85 Coloken 05:52:36 05/23/04
(1)
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