Obviously you want to treat your engine in the best way possible. Unfortunately, ethanol absorbs dirt easily, which can potentially corrode and damage your engine, says Car Bibles. One of the main concerns about driving a flex-fuel car is its gas mileage. While some experts assert that flex-fuel vehicles have similar mileage as regular fuel-powered vehicles, others claim they have lower gas mileage. While ethanol does raise a vehicle's octane level, it contains less energy.
In other words, it will take 1. So, yes, you will get fewer miles per gallon using ethanol. However, ethanol costs less than regular gasoline, so the savings should more than offset the mileage loss. Because flex fuel isn't as economical as gasoline, gas stations are less likely to carry it. In fact, only a small percentage of gas stations nationwide supply ethanol, although that is likely to change as more consumers purchase flex-fuel vehicles. The benefit of a modern flex-fuel vehicle, though, is that you can use any combination of gasoline and ethanol, whether it's percent unleaded gas or 85 percent ethanol.
Your vehicle's sensors will detect the blend and make the necessary changes. The debates surrounding the pros and cons of flex fuel and flex-fuel vehicles aren't going away anytime soon. However, there does seem to be a move toward using ethanol as an environmentally friendly and economical fuel source.
More ethanol refining plants are opening up, and even if you're not ready to transition to a flex-fuel vehicle yet, it's something to keep in mind for the future. Technology is always changing, so there's no way to predict what flex-fuel vehicles and advances could emerge over the next few years. You could be driving a flex-fuel car already and not even know it. Flex-fuel vehicles typically look no different than other vehicles, but there are some signs you can look for.
For example, many manufacturers put yellow gas caps on flex-fuel vehicles or a yellow ring where you insert the fuel nozzle. However, we do not know at what level can be attributed to bio-fuels such increases. With the operation on ethanol, an engine emits less CO2 despite higher fuel consumption. With limitations on CO2 arriving in Europe, the USA and Japan, it could be that the Flex-fuel engines are increasingly offered by manufacturers despite the controversy over the origin of bio-fuels.
I believe this is a short term solution but less costly for manufacturers than hybrids. Do you think that with arrival of 3rd generation bio-fuels , the volume of Flex fuel engines on the market will finally take off? Load More. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. People are tired of being dependent on big companies.
The average home owner cant do and wont be able to do cellulosic ethanol for a very long time. It can also be made by wet milling, where the grain is soaked and separated for processing into several different products, including corn sweeteners and corn oil, along with the alcohol base.
For ethanol made with cellulosic biomass — such as wood, straw, switchgrass, cornstalks, or paper — the feedstock is ground up, chemically treated to free up the cellulose, and fermented to produce alcohol. Alternatively, some producers dry the feedstock and then burn it to create synthetic gas, which is passed over a catalyst to form ethanol molecules. Ethanol-blended fuel is named for the percentage of renewable fuel in it. E10 is composed of 10 per cent ethanol and 90 per cent gasoline, while E85 is 85 per cent ethanol and 15 per cent gasoline.
Ethanol can be as controversial as it is common. As long as a processing facility exists, it can be made virtually anywhere, since not every country has accessible oil reserves but all can grow feedstock crops. It burns cleaner than gasoline and creates fewer harmful emissions. Because it has higher octane, it can be blended with slightly lower-octane gasoline to bring it up to an octane rating.
On the minus side, its detractors cite such issues as dedicating acreage to fuel rather than food production, and these crops require petroleum-fuelled machinery, as well as fertilizer and pesticides. It can create similar issues in antique cars that are only driven occasionally, and owners have found that ethanol can affect cork gaskets and fuel floats on older engines.
Ethanol, also known as ethyl alcohol or drinking alcohol, is a combustible clear liquid which is produced by the fermentation of sugars contained in crops such sugarcane, corn and soybeans. Ethanol shares similar properties to that of gasoline, and as such has evolved into a fuel substitute and fuel additive. The amount of ethanol contained in a fuel is usually indicated by the letter E, combined with a number, which signifies its concentration. E10 for instance, is 10 percent alcohol and 90 percent standard gasoline.
E85, another common fuel, is 85 percent ethanol. E is pure ethanol.
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