Flex fuel, also known as E85, is the term used for the 96-105 octane mixture of EPA approved alternative fuel that is 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. A Flexible Fuel Vehicle or FFV can operate on gasoline, E85 flex fuel, or a mixture of both. E85 flex fuel is used in light-duty Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) and E95 flex fuel, which is 95% ethanol and 5% gasoline, is used in heavy-duty Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFVs). There are over 8 million FFVs driving on our highways and some auto manufacturers are planning new models past 2009.
Flex fuel contains a high level of alcohol and less oxygen than gasoline, so regular cars and trucks need special converters to use E85 or E95 flex fuel. The only company that has obtained the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approval for an FFV E85 conversion kit is FlexFuel U.S. Some FFVs require a special synthetic oil to operate with the flex fuel mix, but Ford no longer requires special oil for their FFV Taurus. Many Americans are already driving FFVs that can use E85 but don’t even know they have one. You can click here to search vehicles back to 2005 to see if your automobile or truck make and model is an FFV.
Currently, there are over 1,600 retail fuel stations that offer E85 flex fuel. The highest concentration of E85 retail flex fuel stations is in the Midwest. There are only six states that do not have retail fuel stations that offer E85 flex fuel: Hawaii, Alaska, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island. If you would like to find an E85 flex fuel station near you, visit the U.S. DOE interactive map and E85 flex fuel store locator.
There Are Pros and Cons of Using E85 Flex Fuel
There are three main reasons to be interested in flex fuel and FFVs: strengthening America’s independence on foreign oil, environmental protection and tax incentives. There are federal and state tax incentives given to those who produce flex fuel, sell flex fuel, and for consumers that buy FFVs. Check out this U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) database of all federal and state alternative fuel vehicle manufacturing and purchasing incentives, as well as tax incentives for any business or person involved in the production and sale of E85 flex fuel that meets new fuel economy and environmental protection standards and objectives.
E85 burns cleaner than gasoline and has been endorsed by the American Lung Association, so this flex fuel has become popular with environmental protection agencies and alternative fuel advocacy groups. Ethanol is produced using corn or wheat and when burned in an FFV, emits less greenhouse gases that damage our atmosphere. In the long term, using E85 flex fuel will lessen our independence on foreign oil and with new technologies and tax incentives, it is possible that the fuel economy of E85 will improve.
Chances are, using E85 flex fuel in an FFV will cost you more per year to operate than a regular gasoline automobile, so fuel economy may or may not be an incentive depending on what vehicle you have now, what FFV you are considering, your driving habits, and what your local gasoline and E85 fuel prices are. FFVs typically get 10-15% less miles per gallon than gasoline vehicles but a gallon of E85 or E95 flex fuel is usually priced around 10-20% less than a gallon of comparable gasoline.
You can click here to get a Flex Fuel Calculator that determines your fuel economy for converting to an FFV. This Flex Fuel Calculator will also tell you the EPA Vehicle Fuel Economy Rating for using both straight gasoline and using E85 in the FFV you already own and didn’t know it. Finally, the Flex Fuel Calculator gives you how many pounds per year of greenhouse gases that are NOT emitted into the air if you use the E85 flex fuel. If you would like to keep an eye on gasoline prices compared to E85 flex fuel prices, visit the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report that includes prices for E85 flex fuel.
Sources:
U.S. Department of Energy Flex Fuel Data Center
http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/vehicles/flexible_fuel.html
AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report
http://www.fuelgaugereport.com/
Flex Fuel and Ethanol Related Associations, Manufacturers, Coalitions, Environmental Groups
http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/ethanol/related_links.html
National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition
http://www.e85fuel.com/e85101/flexfuelvehicles.php
Flex Fuel US Vehicle Converters
http://flexfuelus.com/
Fuel Economy for Flex Fuel Vehicles
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/flextech.shtml
