vxSmartWay
Transport Partnership
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
EPA420-F-06-047
October 2006
Alternative Fuels:
E85 and Flex Fuel
Vehicles
Ethanol is a renewable fuel made from plants. Essentially non-drinkable grain alcohol, ethanol is produced
by fermenting plant sugars. It can be made from corn, sugar cane, and other starchy agricultural product.
The cellulose in agricultural wastes such as waste woods and corn stalks (also know as "cellulosic
ethanol") can also be used as a base. In the United States, most ethanol is currently made from corn, although
because of rapidly developing research, cellulosic ethanol may soon become a larger part of the market.
E85 Fuel
While pure ethanol is rarely used for transportation fuel, there
are several ethanol-gasoline blends in use today. E85 is a blend
of 85 percent denatured ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. In
certain areas, higher percentages of gasoline will be added to
E-85 during the winter to ensure that vehicles are able to start
at very cold temperatures.
E85 cannot be used in a conventional, gasoline-only engine.
Vehicles must be specially designed to run on it. The only
vehicles currently available to U.S. drivers are known as flex
fuel vehicles (FFVs), because they can run on E85, gasoline, or
any blend of the two. Much like diesel fuel, E85 is available at
specially-marked fueling pumps. Today, nearly 700 fueling
stations offer it.
Another common mix is El0, a blend of 10 percent ethanol
and 90 percent gasoline. E10 is available in many areas across
the United States and can be used in any gasoline vehicle
manufactured after 1980.
Flex Fuel Vehicles
Ethanol-fueled vehicles date back to the 1880s when Henry
Ford designed a car that ran solely on ethanol. He later built
the first flex fuel vehicle: a 1908 Model T designed to operate
on either ethanol or gasoline.
Today's FFVs feature specially-designed fuel systems and other
components that allow a vehicle to operate on a mixture of
gasoline and ethanol that can vary from 0 percent to 85
percent ethanol. These cars and trucks have the same power,
acceleration, payload, and cruise speed as conventionally
fueled vehicles. Maintenance for ethanol-fueled vehicles is
very similar to that of regular cars and trucks. However,
owners should identify the car as an FFV when ordering
replacement parts.
Today, the United States has more than 6 million FFVs on
the road. These vehicles are available in a range of models,
including sedans, pick-up trucks, and minivans. Additionally,
several auto manufacturers have announced plans to greatly
expand the number of FFV models they will offer. In fact,
you may even be driving one now. To find out, check the
inside of your gas tank door for an identification sticker.
Affordability
FFVs are priced the same as gasoline-only vehicles, offering
drivers the opportunity to buy an E85 capable vehicle at no
additional cost.
In general, E85 reduces fuel economy and range by about
20-30 percent, meaning an FFV will travel fewer miles on a
tank of E85 than on a tank of gasoline. This is because
ethanol contains less energy than gasoline. Vehicles can be
designed to be optimized for E85—which would reduce or
eliminate this tendency. However, no such vehicles are
currently on the market. The pump price for E85 is often
lower than regular gasoline; however, prices vary depending
on supply and market conditions.
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E85 & Conventional Vehicles
Consumers should never use E85 in a conventional,
gasoline-only vehicle. This can lead to a range of problems,
including not being able to start the engine, damage to engine
components, illumination of the check engine light, and
emissions increases.
It is technically possible to convert a conventional gasoline
vehicle to run on E85; however, such conversions would likely
be illegal unless they are certified by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA). To date, EPA has not certified any
E85 conversions. In addition, converting a conventional
vehicle to E85 may violate the terms of the vehicle warranty.
For more information on the vehicle conversion process, please
visit EPA's Web site at:
www.epa.gov/otaq/cert/dearmfr/cisd0602.pdf
Benefits
Much of the increased interest in ethanol as a vehicle fuel is
due to its ability to replace gasoline from imported oil. The
United States is currently the world's largest ethanol producer,
and most of the ethanol we use is produced domestically from
corn grown by American farmers.
E85 also provides important reductions in greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions. When made from corn, E85 reduces
lifecycle GHG emissions (which include the energy required to
grow and process corn into ethanol) by 15-20% as compared to
gasoline. E85 made from cellulose can reduce emissions by
around 70 percent as compared to gasoline.
EPA's stringent Tier II vehicle emission standards require that
FFVs achieve the same low emissions level regardless of
whether E85 or gasoline is used. However, E85 can further
reduce emissions of certain pollutants as compared to
conventional gasoline or lower volume ethanol blends. For
example, E85 is less volatile than gasoline or low volume
ethanol blends, which results in fewer evaporative emissions.
Using E85 also reduces carbon monoxide emissions and
provides significant reductions in emissions of many harmful
toxics, including benzene, a known human carcinogen.
However, E85 also increases emissions of acetaldehyde—a
toxic pollutant. EPA is conducting additional analysis to
expand our understanding of the emissions impacts of E85.
For More Information
EPA Grow & Go Web Site: www.epa.gov/smartway/growandgo
EPA Alternative Fuels Web Site: www. epa. gov/otaq/consumer/fuels/altfuels/altfuels.htm
FuelEconomy.gov: Flex-Fuel Vehicles Web Site www.fueleconomy. gov/feg/flextech. shtml
DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center: Ethanol Web Site: www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/altfuel/ethanol.html
DOE Alternative Fuel Station Locator Web Site: www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/infrastructure/locator.html
http://www.epa.gov/smartway
EPA420-F-06-047
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