Frequently Asked Questions:
I know, I care, I do
Knowledge is the key to consumer protection and changing
social injustice
How can I get involved?
Join the Flexible Fuel Vehicle Club
Know more about energy issues and how
they impact your life. Do more research on our website
and explorer the links to other organizations.
What is an FFV?
According to the Alliance of
Automobile Manufactures there are seven million flexible
fuel vehicles (FFVs) on the road today. U.S. automakers have
pledged to make 50% of their new vehicles FFVs by 2012 if
the E85 refueling stations are available. That would be nearly
5 million new FFVs each year that could use over 20 billion
gallons of E85.
What is a Flexible Fuel Vehicle?
Flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) are capable of operating on
gasoline, E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline), or a mixture of
both. FFVs qualify as alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) under
the
Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPAct). They also qualify for
AFV tax credits. Unlike
natural gas and
propane bi-fuel vehicles,
flexible fuel vehicles contain one fueling system, which is
made up of corrosion-resistant components and is set to accommodate
the higher oxygen content of E85. E85 should only be used in
ethanol-capable FFVs. For more information, read Flexible Fuel
Vehicles: Powered by a Renewable American (PDF
288 KB).
Download Adobe Reader.
Other than fueling capability and corrosion-resistant
components, FFVs are similar to their conventional gasoline
counterparts. Their power, acceleration, payload, and cruise
speed are comparable whether running on ethanol or gasoline.
The only noticeable difference: fuel economy is lower when
FFVs run on ethanol. To find out if your vehicle, or your customer’s
vehicle is a flexible fuel vehicle, visit the
National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition.
Emissions
Most ethanol-fueled FFVs produce lower carbon monoxide and carbon
dioxide emissions than gasoline-powered vehicles. To estimate
the greenhouse gas emissions savings of FFVs, go to the
Flexible Fuel Vehicle Cost Calculator.
Visit General Motors' Cornulator
on its
Live Green, Go Yellow Web site to estimate barrels of
oil saved by using E85.
Find an FFV and compare specifications
See how fueling an FFV with E85 impacts fuel costs and tailpipe emissions by using the
FFV Cost Calculator.
View
incentives that may apply to FFV purchases.
Fleet Managers:
Go to the Fleet
Applications section to learn how FFVs can be implemented
in your fleet, or visit the E85
Fleet Toolkit to learn about installing E85 infrastructure.
Links to Other Organizations
National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition
Check to see if your vehicle is one listed below.
Be certain to check the ENGINE SIZE of the vehicle. (If your
vehicle is not listed, your vehicle is NOT E85 compatible)
If the vehicle and engine size is one listed above, check the
8th digit in the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and correlate
to what is listed as the 8th digit on the link
here.
Other information:
Identifying FFVs by Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
How to Read a Vehicle Identification Number
Listing
of FFVs (PDF) updated January 2008
About Fuel Ethanol
What is fuel ethanol?
Ethanol is currently blended into half
of the nation’s
gasoline in nearly every state in the country. Ethanol, otherwise
known as ethyl alcohol, alcohol, grain-spirit, or neutral spirit,
is a clear, colorless and flammable oxygenated fuel. Ethanol
is used to increase octane and improve the emissions quality
of gasoline as required by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990
for carbon monoxide and ozone nonattainment areas. Thus, in areas
of the country where clean air standards are not met, which include
many metropolitan areas around the country, ethanol is mixed
into conventional gasoline. You may see a sign on your gas pump- “This
fuel contains ethanol”, or a percentage ethanol may be
noted. It is blended with gasoline to extend fuel supplies
at volume levels of 5.7 volume percent, 7.7 volume percent
or 10 volume percent, in reformulated gasoline or conventional
gasoline. Ethanol burns cleaner than gasoline, and reduces
a number of priority pollutants, including carbon monoxide,
particulate matter, and hydrocarbons. It is considered carbon
dioxide neutral, since, though carbon dioxide is produced when
ethanol burns, the plants used to make ethanol use carbon dioxide
during photosynthesis. Some studies show a very slight increase
in aldehydes from ethanol combustion.
Ethanol is also considered an alternative fuel when
used in an 85% blend (E85) to meet goals outlined in the Energy
Policy Act of 2005. E85 uses ethanol blended at 85% in the
summer time, but uses a slightly lower 70% in the winter. E85
can be used in numerous vehicles currently on the road, called
Flexible Fuel Vehicles, or FFV’s for short. The major automobile
manufacturers produce numerous models of FFV’s; you may
even own one. Many retailers become interested in E85 when they
see the many FFV’s coming into their stations, and seek
to bring in E85 to serve these customers. You can tell by looking
in the fuel door of the vehicle, where a small sticker may
state: This vehicle runs on E85 or gasoline.
To check your vehicle's VIN number, click here. You can switch between E85
and gasoline in your FFV with no problem. These fuel formulations
are approved by all automakers and the Environmental Protection
Agency.
Will
Ethanol perform well in my customer’s vehicles and
is it covered under their automobile warranty?
All automobile
manufacturers approve the use of ethanol/gasoline blends. Approval
of ethanol blends is found in the owner’s
manual under references to refueling or gasoline. General Motors
Corporation states in its owner’s manual they recommend
the use of fuel oxygenates, such as ethanol, when and where available.
Fuel ethanol blends are sold in nearly every state and can be
found in 46% of the nation’s gasoline. Fuel ethanol blended
gasoline has achieved nearly 100% market share of all gasoline
sold in certain carbon monoxide (oxygenated gasoline) and ozone
nonattainment areas (reformulated gasoline, RFG). Minnesota has
adopted a statewide oxygenated fuel program that has resulted
in ethanol being blended in over 95% of the State’s gasoline.
Therefore, fuel ethanol is successfully used in all types of
vehicles and engines that require gasoline.
Is ethanol-blended fuel bad for fuel injectors?
Ethanol or ethanol-blends
have never contributed to burning or fouling of port fuel injectors.
Some components in gasoline, such as olefins, have been identified
as causing deposits that can foul injectors. But since ethanol
burns 100% and leaves no residue, it cannot contribute to the
formation of deposits. Ethanol blends actually keeps fuel injectors
cleaner – helping
improve engine performance. It does not increase corrosion,
nor will it harm any seals or valves.
Will ethanol-blended fuel cause
vapor lock?
Vapor pressure specifications of gasoline continue
to be lowered by state and federal statute, virtually eliminating
the vapor lock problems that were reported in the past. Additionally,
all major auto manufacturers now have in-tank fuel pumps, which
are not subject to vapor lock like the older in-line fuel pumps.
Will
ethanol blends make engines run hotter?
Ethanol actually helps
keep your engine cooler, since the ethanol in the fuel combusts
at a lower temperature. In fact, many high-powered racing engines
use pure alcohol for that very reason.
How is ethanol different
than gasoline?
Ethanol is an alcohol
based fuel, which is distilled from natural materials such
as corn, sugar cane, or other plants, and is considered a renewable
fuel, since farmers can grow more of the materials needed to
make it. Gasoline is refined from petroleum, which is a finite
resource that takes millions of years to form. Considered in
its most basic form, petroleum is “rock oil”.
Many other types of oils have been used as mankind’s
fuel, and have been depleted to the point of non-sustainability;
whale oil is an example of a once prominent fuel oil that is
no longer used as a fuel.
Ethanol has a lower energy content than gasoline,
so fuel economy is less when using E85. This drop may be between
10 to 30 percent, dependent on the vehicle model. Good driving
habits (smooth acceleration, avoiding jack-rabbit starting)
and proper tire inflation may be used to address some of this
decrease. However, E85 has a much higher octane than even super
premium gasoline, at 100-105, which improves vehicle performance.
Ethanol is produced in the United States, from domestically
grown crops, and its use helps the farm economy. Buying a domestic
fuel keeps transportation fuel dollars in the United States,
instead of exporting funds to foreign countries that may or
may not be friendly to the United States.
For more information about
ethanol use in vehicles, small engines and recreational equipment
visit
Government
Non-Profit
What is E85?
E85 is a mixture of 85% ethanol, and 15% gasoline.
It is an alcohol-based fuel that can run in millions of existing
vehicles that are on the road, right now. With E85 at your
station, you can help fuel them. Standard model vehicles that
can run on either E85 or gasoline are called “flexible
fuel vehicles”.
These vehicles do not have to run solely on E85; they can go
back and forth between E85 and gasoline with no problem. They
are made by the major auto manufacturers, including General Motors,
Daimler Chrysler, Ford, and Nissan. There are currently more
than 6 million of these vehicles on the road, and you, a friend
or relative, and certainly a portion of your existing customers,
may have an FFV. In fact, many retailers become interested in
E85 when they see the many FFV’s coming in to their stations,
and become aware of the opportunity to fill customers’ needs
for the fuel. Since it is domestically produced, green, clean
burning fuel which helps us use less foreign oil, now is the
perfect time to present it to customers.
For a list of the many
vehicles that are able to use E85, go to http://www.e85fuel.com or http://www.eere.energy.gov.
To learn more about flexible Fuel
Vehicles (FFVs) search the automaker websites and search with
the words “flexible
fuel vehicles or alternative fuel vehicles”
Emissions
- E85 contains 80% fewer gum-forming compounds than conventional
gasoline.
- E85 contains 80% less sulfur than typical gasoline, which
helps protect a vehicle’s catalytic converter -allowing
it to function properly.
- Ethanol is highly biodegradable, making it less of a risk
in to the environment.
Economics
- A range of light duty flexible fuel vehicles are produced
including passenger sedans, pickup trucks and vans
- Fueling station equipment costs comparable or virtually the
same as gasoline
- No or minimal extra cost for flexible fuel vehicle
- Efforts made to price the fuel proportionately lower than
gasoline in order to compensate for lower BTU content
Performance
- Power, acceleration, payload and cruise speed comparable
to gasoline
- Fueling time: same as gasoline
- Pure, 100% ethanol has an octane rating of 113
- Adding 10% ethanol to unleaded gasoline raises the octane
by 2 -3 points
- E85 has from 100-105 octane
- 100% Ethanol is used in Indy Racing because of these high-performance
characteristics.
Fuel Value
- Octane E85: 100-Plus octane (as high as 105 or more)
- Compare to gasoline 86-94 Octane
- E85 Has lower BTU value
- E85 86,000 BTU per gallon
- Gasoline 120,000 BTU/gallon
- Approximately 28 percent differential in energy content for
a gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE) of E85
History of E85 and Flexible Fuel Vehicles
E85 is a leading gasoline alternative in the U.S. and in other
countries, especially Brazil, where it is found at nearly every
gas station. E85 is now found at about 1,300 stations around
the U.S. When E85 is not available, flexible fuel vehicles operate
on any blend of ethanol or gasoline. E85 has fewer tailpipe and
evaporative emissions, and decreases air pollution. Made from
crops grown by American farmers, it is renewable, since more
crops are grown each year to produce the ethanol portion. There
is no incremental cost for an FFV, which has slightly different
fuel lines, fuel sensor, and fuel tank than a standard vehicle.
An FFV looks and performs exactly like a standard model. For
some models, every vehicle produced for that product line is
an FFV.
More and more FFV’s are being produced every year,
and the car companies have told the President they would like
to make even more, if there were more fueling stations. Originally,
FFV’s were first produced in 1998, when the Alternative
Motor Fuels Act created “fuel economy credits’’,
also called CAFE credits, for automakers to produce FFV’s,
and also created programs for research, development, and demonstration
projects related to their use. This legislation intended to spur
increases in the use of innovative fuels, plus improve emissions
from vehicles over time. Now the demonstration period is well
over, E85 and FFV’s are used around the country, and projections
show that there could be nearly 30 million FFV’s by 2015.
The
number of E85 stations has nearly doubled since late 2005. With
the increase in the price of oil, E85 has proved a less expensive
and dependable alternative. It is a liquid fuel, and is stored
in regular fuel storage tanks such as you already have at your
station. E85 has safety practices similar to gasoline, and is
dispensed in a similar manner. The government created a very
large incentive for ethanol production with the 2005 Renewable
Fuel Standard, which calls for increasing amounts of ethanol
and other renewable fuels to be blended into the nation’s
fuel supply. Though much of the ethanol may go into standard
gasoline as a clean air oxygenate, this has created many more
opportunities for E85 sales, and made ethanol more available
in the Northeast, where it is stored in large distribution terminals.
E85 has a lower energy content than gasoline, because it is
an alcohol, with a lower BTU content. So you will see a mileage
drop when you use the fuel, which varies from vehicle to vehicle,
but can be from 11 to 30 percent. For this reason, E85 is priced
lower than gasoline, to make up for the decrease in fuel economy.
For example, in October 2007 in Albany, New York, regular gasoline
was $3.03 per gallon, while E85 was $1.99. This pricing attracts
customers, and more than makes up for the loss in mileage. When
you consider all the other benefits, you begin to realize why
there is so much talk about E85, and why it is so popular in
areas where ethanol is produced. Ethanol production is planned
for the Northeast area too, with the first operational plants
located in New York State, with more to follow.
Other than lower
gas mileage, motorists will see little difference when using
E85 versus gasoline. For more information on ethanol's energy
content, see the E85 Fuel Properties section. Use the FFV Cost
Calculator to quantify the effect of E85's lower energy content
on FFV fuel economy and fuel costs.
For More Information and Frequently
Asked E85 Questions.
Where can I find additional information from other organziations
about Frequently Asked Questions about FFVs and E85?
For More
Information and Frequently Asked FFV and E85 Questions
|
