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Flexible-fuel vehicles (FFVS) are powered by two fuel sources—most commonly petroleum-derived gasoline and corn-derived ethanol—either separately or in blends. Fueling a car with an ethanol (grain alcohol) blend decreases greenhouse gas emissions and supports home-grown, renewable agriculture.

Find it! Flex-fuel cars

All (yes, all) vehicles produced after 1980 are capable of running on a blend of 10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline—E10 or “gasohol”—and in some states it’s required that retailers sell E10 at the pumps as their standard fuel either seasonally or year-round to combat ozone formation. However, true flex-fuel vehicles are manufactured with the ability to run on any combination of gasoline and ethanol up to an 85 percent ethanol (E85) blend. After making their US debut in 1991, there are now around 5 million flex-fuel vehicles on domestic roadways.

GY flex-fuel picks come in all shapes and sizes on the market for the 2007 and 2008 model years. For a more complete list check out Clean Air Choice. And given that many consumers may be unaware that their cars are E85 compatible, stop in at The National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition to start the investigation…you might be in for a pleasant surprise, since FFVs are priced no different than vehicles that run on gas exclusively.

Before you buy

Drivers should be aware of E85’s low energy content negatively affects fuel economy. And before attempting to fill up with renewable, non-carcinogenic E85 in lieu of gasoline, prospective (and current) FFV owners should know that although it's emerging as an ecological boon, E85 is also difficult to come by in certain regions of the country. There are currently around 900 domestic gas stations that sell E85, a small number when considering the total number of gas stations nationwide. A majority of these stations are located in the corn-growing, ethanol-producing Midwest—there are 300 in Minnesota alone—yet in states like Maine and New Hampshire where ethanol production does not exist, there are none.

Check out the Alternative Fuel Station Locator at the US Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center to see if a station near you offers E85. For New Englanders and those in other states where E85 is scarce or non-existent see The National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition’s “I Need E85 in My Town” page.

Choosing a flex-fuel car helps you go green because…

• It curbs the emission of hazardous tailpipe pollutants such as benzene and carbon monoxide.
• When using E85 instead of pure gasoline, greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by 15 to 20 percent.[1]
• It supports domestic agricultural efforts while decreasing dependence on non-renewable, imported fossil fuels.

Since 2000, domestic ethanol production has increased by 300 percent with Iowa providing the most output.[2] One acre of corn can yield up to 500 gallons of ethanol, enough to fuel six cars on E10 for one year.[2] Although not as beneficial in terms of air quality, approximately 99 percent of ethanol fuel sold in the US is E10 while the remaining 1 percent is E85.[3]

Flex-fuel vehicles and the ethanol-blend fuels that power them have been touted by President George W. Bush and the domestic automotive “Big Three”—Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors—as crucial in slackening America’s reliance on imported fossil fuels. The Bush administration’s strategy to reduce gasoline consumption by twenty percent by the year 2017 is being complimented by said automaker’s commitment to increase production of flex-fuel vehicles twofold—about 2 million per year—by 2010.

Aside from a shift away from non-renewable, foreign fuel to a home-grown, renewable one ethanol offers immediate environmental benefits. These include lower carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide emissions than gasoline, 30 percent and 27 percent, respectively.[4][2] Additionally, ethanol is biodegradable, water soluble, and nontoxic.

Although a relatively novel concept to the US, the flex-fuel vehicle is old news to Brazil. In response to the fuel crises of the 1970s and 1980s, Brazilian motorists relied on sugar cane-derived ethanol fuel and vehicles capable of running on it. During this period, availability of ethanol was widespread and more affordable than gasoline due in part to government subsidies; by 1984 around 90 percent of Brazilian vehicles ran on 100 percent ethanol.

Yet as a result of a plunge in oil prices and a drought that impeded sugar cane production in the mid-80s, Brazil shifted away from ethanol fuel and by 1997 less than 1 percent of new vehicles sold in Brazil were ethanol-compatible. Currently, Brazilian FFV's are truly flexible, capable of running on any blend of gasoline and ethanol that the consumer chooses. In total, there are approximately 3 to 4 million flex fuel cars populating Brazilian roadways with newer models being able to run on any combination of gas, ethanol, and compressed natural gas.< For more on sugar cane production and flex-fuel vehicles in Brazil see this 2006 article published in the New York Times.

Ethanol options

Domestic ethanol is derived from the fermenting and distilling of corn but can also come from sugar cane, wheat, barley, and other crops. Although corn-based ethanol has its environmental and economic advantages (and downsides), some consider it a transitional fuel while the development of a more energy-efficient, non-food based ethanol—namely, cellulose ethanol—is underway.

Cellulose ethanol is derived from crop waste such as wood chips, grasses, and rice straw. If the development of cellulose ethanol goes as planned and is introduced to the public, it’s estimated that in the year 2005 it could replace 9 billion gallons of gasoline.[5]

Cellulose-derived E85 can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 70 percent in comparison to the more modest 15 to 20 percent reduction offered by corn ethanol.[1] The Iogen Corporation is a leader in cellulose ethanol research, generating around one million gallons of cellulose ethanol from wheat, barley, and oat straw annually at its Ottawa, Canada facility.

Drawbacks

In addition to issues of availability, ethanol has proven drawbacks when it comes to fuel-efficiency. When compared to gasoline and diesel, ethanol has the lowest gas mileage—around 34 percent less than gasoline; E85 has only 80 percent of the energy content as gas.[6] Additionally, while it curbs the release of many pollutants harmful to both the environment and pubic health, E85 usage increases the emission of acetaldehyde and formaldehyde.

Controversies

Like biodiesel, ethanol's economic and environmental strengths as a renewable byproduct of homegrown agriculture are touted by many while critics see the shift away from fossil fuels as a risky one. Given ethanol's origin in crop-based agriculture, issues such as soil erosion, groundwater depletion, and pesticide use have been brought to light. Additionally, growing enough crops—corn, for example—could lead to environmental perils to meet increasing demand. Additionally, a 2005 study found that the energy needed to turn corn in ethanol surpassed the energy generated by the end-product by around 29 percent.[7]

These concerns are made explicit in a March, 2007 article published in The Guardian. Writer George Monbiot argues that the demand for crops as a fuel source will consequentially raise the price of crops as a food source, leading to widespread food shortages and starvation. He asserts that the price of corn has doubled since the beginning of 2006 while the global supply of the crop has reached a 25-year low; this crisis, according to the United Nations, stems from increased ethanol production. Monbiot suggests halting biofuel production until more effective, large-scale production methods become available.

Tax breaks and subsidies

Although drivers who fuel their cars with ethanol blends do not receive as numerous perks and privileges as hybrid car owners, there are Federal and State incentives and laws aiming to reward both consumers and producers of ethanol fuel. See the Alternative Fuels Data Center for more specific information.

Glossary

• acetaldehyde: Acetaldehyde is a common substance that enters the environment via vehicle fumes, tobacco smoke, coffee roasting, residential fireplace and woodstove usage, and plant respiration. It is also used in the production of perfumes, solvents, and preservatives. Acetaldehyde can be formed in the human body while breaking down alcohol; short-term exposure can result in skin and eye irritation while chronic exposure is comparable to alcoholism.
• automotive fuel economy: Fuel economy in cars is important because carbon dioxide emissions are directly related to the amount of fuel burned. MPG, or "miles per gallon," is the way most Americans measure fuel economy. (Europe, for example, uses l/100km or liters of fuel per 100km traveled.) To measure your fuel economy, fill your tank and reset the odometer. At your next fill-up, divide the miles traveled by the amount of fuel needed to refill the tank.
• benzene: A flammable solvent used to make many household products, including detergents, nylon, paint, furniture wax, lacquer, resins, and oil (although its use in many other household products was banned in 1978). It is poisonous when ingested.

External links

• AutoblogGreen
• Biofuelwatch - Webpage of a group tracking the environmental concerns presented by biofuels
• Center for American Progress - "Flex-fuel Bait and Switch"
• The Christian Science Monitor - "Gas substitutes the flex-fuel car"
• CBS News - "A Dark Side to the Ethanol Boom?"
• Ethanol Promotional and Information Council (EPIC)
• Green Car Congress
• Jalopnik.com
• Live Green, Go Yellow - General Motors-sponsored site featuring the "Cornulator," a tool for estimating how many barrels of oil can be saved by using E85 fuel
• National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition
• The New York Times - "More Brazilian Drivers Turn To Ethanol"
• Renewable Fuels Association - The Ethanol Report
• Union of Concerned Scientists - How It Works: Ethanol
• US Department of Energy - Alternative Fuels Data Center: What Types of Vehicles Use Ethanol?
• US Department of Energy - Alternative Fuels Data Center: E85 Stations in the United States