According to the Department of Energy, a gallon of E85 has about 72 percent to 77 percent of the equivalent energy compared to what’s in a gallon a gasoline. So, if you have a flex-fuel vehicle and opt for E85, you will actually get worse fuel economy than when you use premium gasoline. For example, a 2009 Chevrolet Impala that’s rated with a combined 23 mpg when using gasoline drops to 17 mpg in combined fuel economy when using E85.
The difference between “Regular” and “Premium” unleaded gas has to do with the octane ratings. The octane rating for gasoline ranges from 84-93, with premium usually having a 93 rating. E85 has an octane rating of 100-plus, which is great for performance cars but the fuel itself simply isn’t as energy dense as gas. You have to use more of it to travel the same distance as you would with gasoline.
According to the DOE, E85 is typically cheaper than gas and its emissions are generally less than that of gasoline. See below for a complete list of E85 capable cars for 2009 as well as a calculator tool to help you figure out the cost advantage of E85 vs. gasoline and the pounds of greenhouse gases saved.
Learn more
Kate no one is starving because of flex fuel.
[i]Corn farmers are meeting demand.
In one year, farmers need
to produce 5.3 billion bushels of corn to satisfy the livestock feeding
market — and another 3.6 billion to meet the demands of the ethanol
industry. In addition, foreign nations want to buy another 1.75 billion
bushels, plus there’s 1.3 billion in other domestic demands. But spring
flooding takes thousands of acres out of production and wet fall weather
results in a very late harvest.
How many bushels of corn will American corn growers produce this year?
The answer: 12.1 billion bushels, the second largest crop
in history. Add in a 1.7 billion bushel carry-in and the
carry over grew to 1.8 billion bushels. (USDA/WASDE)[/i] Source: http://ncga.com/files/pdf/2009WOC.pdf
Bottom line Kate is we feed all the livestock, produced a record 9 billion gallons of ethanol , had a few billion bushels for odds and ends like making lipstick and plastics ..sent nearly 2 billion bushels oveseas ..and at the end of the day had almost 2 billion bushels left over..
So if you really think anyone is going hungry because of biofuels feel free to buy as many bushels as you ..for $3.80 cents you get 56lbs and send it to the hungry people of the world.. no one is stopping you step on up..Corn is cheap..so cheap Farmers probably wont plant as much in 09
Dan McCullough
E85Prices.com
Dan, thank you for quashing that urban legend with actual facts and figures...
Yea yea yea.
And then, to grow all this corn they use pesticides and fertilizers that eventually washing into rivers, seas and oceans, poisoning our food (fish and animals) and water. They also use drinking water. The trucks used to deliver the corn, the chemicals. The energy is used to produce the chemicals too. Then, the efficiency goes to drain.
Put all these factors together and see, how much cheaper and healthier just to dig for the black stuff.
To Dan:
Spoken like a guy trying to save his job! I trade in commodities and you are so wrong it is unbelievable. Your source is a group financially supported by E85 producers. Now don't get me wrong I love corn, live in Nebraska. However, sugar cane is less expensive to produce and you get so much more ethanol. Brazil has been trying to get their product into our country for years. Its cheap! would probably cut the cost per gallon by around 25-35%. Can't do it because the farmers find easy markets. Its a form of Farm subsidies that doesn't look like one. If you go to the Dept of energy's websitehttp://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/progs/cost_anal.php?0/E85/ you will see that over the course of the year you get better milage and save money using unleaded. It does state that you put more CO2 into the air causing greenhouse gasses. Second problem CO2 is not CO. CO2 is used by plants...its their oxygen, we exhale it (along with about 16% O2). Co is carbon monoxide bad gas. So using E85 does cost prices to go up. Simply put shipping by truck as to train freight adds cost to the consumer. Sorry by E85 is a scam. and this Nebraska boy who grows sweet corn not feed corn in my own garden will never again by E85. That program needs to die. Oh one more thing. Farmers are some of the dumbest business men on the planet! They by new 200K combines every other year and wonder why they never have cash. However they like E85 because they get such a good price for their corn but turn around and cant figure out why their margins for beef and fertilizer supplies and seed cost are up. Cost is up but so are margins to a point where they are making less.
Sorry folks. all of the "by" should be "buy". My system has an oversensitive spell checker.
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Whatever. Flexfuel is starving people in other countries.