SEPA
United States	Transportation and Air Quality EPA420-F-00-035
Environmental Protection	Transportation and Regional	March 2002
Agency	Programs Division	www.epa.gov
SUCCESS STQfty
In January 2000: the
U.S. Postal Service (USPS)
made the largest purchase
of flexible fuel vehicles
(FFVs) by a federal govern-
ment agency, agreeing to
buy nearly 23,750 vehicles
powered with up to 85 per-
cent ethanol. Roughly
21,000 FFVs will serve as
postal carrier vehicles, with
the remainder used for
administrative duties.
Because its fleet is con-
centrated in 11 areas of the
country, USPS believes this
purchase will promote
ethanol use and availability
and support development
of a commercial ethanol
infrastructure. In fact, state
and local governments, in
conjunction with the
ethanol industry, the U.S.
Department of Energy, and
potential additional fleets,
are creating master plans
based largely on the USPS
commitment.
While USPS will depend
in large part on commercial
fueling stations, the agency
also is converting many on-
site tanks to ethanol for
supplemental supplies. For
more information, contact
Marguerite Downey at
(202) 268-5073.
Clean Alternative
Fuels:
Ethanol
One in a series of fact sheets
E
thanol-fueled vehicles date back to the 1880s when Henry Ford
designed a car that ran solely on ethanol. Subsequently the popular
Model T was designed to operate on either ethanol or gasoline. Four
generations later, ethanol-blended gasoline accounts for more than 10 percent
of total gasoline sales in the United States.
Essentially 100 percent pure grain alcohol
made unfit to drink, ethanol is produced
by fermenting plant sugars. It can be made
from corn, potatoes, wood, waste paper,
wheat, brewery waste, and many other
agricultural products and food wastes.
Anything containing sugar, starch, or cel-
lulose can be fermented and distilled into
ethanol. More than 90 percent of U.S.
ethanol production comes from corn.
Pure ethanol is rarely used for trans-
portation; usually it is mixed with gasoline.
The most popular blend for light-duty
vehicles is known as E85, which is 85 per-
cent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.
Heavy-duty trucks typically use E95
(ethanol blended with five percent unlead-
ed gasoline) and E93 (ethanol blended
with five percent methanol and two per-
cent kerosene). For many years, ethanol
has also been used as a 10 percent mixture
with gasoline in a blend called "gasohol" or
E10 to reduce carbon monoxide emissions
during winter. Finally, ethanol is often
blended in gasoline as an oxygenate to
meet clean fuel requirements.
The technology to produce ethanol is
well established, and all the resources need-
ed to produce it can be supplied domesti-
cally.
AVAILABILITY
The use of E10 ethanol is covered under
warranty by every automaker selling cars
in the United States. American automak-
ers also produce a variety of automobiles,
light-duty pickup trucks, and minivans
known as flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs).
These vehicles can operate on any combi-
nation of ethanol and gasoline by auto-
matically sensing the percentage of alcohol
in the fuel tank and adjusting the engine's
parameters accordingly.
EMISSIONS
CHARACTERI

Actual emissions will vary with
engine design; these numbers reflect the
potential reductions offered by ethanol
(E85), relative to conventional gasoline.
•	Fewer total toxics are produced.
•	Reductions in ozone-forming volatile
organic compounds of 15 percent.
•	Reductions in carbon monoxide of
40 percent.
•	Reductions in particulate emissions
of 20 percent.
•	Reductions in nitrogen oxide emis-
sions of 10 percent.
•	Reductions in sulfate emissions of 80
percent.
•	Lower reactivity of hydrocarbon
emissions
•	Higher ethanol and acetaldehyde
emissions.
•	Estimates based on ethanol's inherently
"cleaner" chemical properties with an engine
that takes full advantage of these fuel proper-
ties.

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Ethanol is primarily used in the
Midwest, where excess corn is dis-
tilled into fuel. Nearly 60 fueling sta-
tions offering E85 are located in 16
states. In states such as South Dakota
and Iowa, ethanol-blended fuel (E10)
is available at virtually every gas sta-
tion. E95 is available only through
bulk suppliers.
AFFORDABILITY
With mass production, manufactur-
ers can offer FFVs at the same price as
comparable gasoline vehicles. Gener-
ally, purchasing ethanol-blended
gasoline is more expensive than tradi-
tional fuels. In the Midwest, however,
E85 and other ethanol blends are sold
at prices equivalent to or less than
those for midgrade unleaded gasoline;
prices vary due to a number of fac-
tors. Because ethanol contains
approximately 60 percent of the ener-
gy content of gasoline, it takes more
ethanol to get the same mileage as a
similar gasoline vehicle. For heavy-
duty vehicle applications, diesel prices
tend to be lower than E95.
PERFORMANCE
Ethanol vehicles exhibit the same
power, acceleration, payload, and
cruise speed as conventionally fueled
vehicles. In addition, ethanol use has
several benefits. It has a higher octane
rating than gasoline, which reduces
engine "knock" and can result in
higher energy efficiency. Ethanol also
absorbs moisture and helps prevent
gas-line freeze-up in cold weather,
preventing the need to add expensive
and possibly harmful fuel additives.
In addition, ethanol has some deter-
gent properties that reduce buildup,
which keeps engines running
smoothly and fuel injection systems
clean for better performance.
On the other hand, ethanol vehicles
have about 75 to 90 percent of the
range of comparable gasoline vehicles
and might require more frequent fuel-
ing. Some auto manufacturers are
installing larger fuel tanks in E85
vehicles to prevent this inconvenience.
Another potential concern is that
ethanol is a more volatile fuel than
gasoline, with a low volatility in win-
ter and a high volatility in summer.
In addition, ethanol does not mix
well with diesel fuel. Consumers with
diesel vehicles who wish to use
ethanol should completely replace
diesel fuel with pure ethanol or use a
special injection method.
SAFETY
Ethanol is not considered a toxic
pollutant at levels likely to be inhaled
when used as a motor fuel. It is much
less flammable than gasoline, thus
fires are less frequent and less severe
when spills or releases of vapor occur.
It is safer than gasoline to store,
transport, and refuel. Because
ethanol is water soluble and
biodegradable, land and water spills
are usually harmless, dispersing and
decomposing quickly; the gasoline
portion of a spill is still a problem in
these situations. Adequate training is
required to operate and maintain
ethanol vehicles, however.
MAINTENANCE
Maintenance practices for ethanol-
fueled vehicles are very similar to
those for conventionally fueled vehi-
cles. Special lubricants for ethanol-
fueled vehicles are sometimes needed
at a slightly higher cost than standard
motor oils, but not all vehicles
require these lubricants. In addition,
oil changes are required less frequent-
ly, defraying some or all incremental
costs. FFVs are designed specifically
for ethanol's slightly more corrosive
properties. But consumers who want
existing vehicles to accommodate
ethanol-blended gasoline beyond
E10 might have to modify engines
and fuel delivery systems to protect
parts. Vehicle owners or maintenance
shops should also identify the car as
an ethanol vehicle when ordering
replacement parts.
For More Information
EPA Alternative Fuels Web Site
www.epa.gov/ otaq/consumer/
fuels/altfuels/altfuels.htm
American Coalition for Ethanol
Web site: www.ethanol.org
Renewable Fuels Association
Web site: www.ethanolrfa.org
National Corn Growers
Association
Web site: www.ncga.com
Governor's Ethanol Coalition
Web site: www.ethanol-gec.org
Alternative Fuel Refueling
Station Locator
Web site: afdcmap.nrel.gov/nrel
(E85 only)
Alternative Fuels Data Center
Web site: www.afdc.nrel.gov
National Alternative Fuels
Hotline
Phone: 800 423-1 DOE
Printed on paper that contains at least 30 percent postconsumer fiber.

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