Although E85 is ethanol rich, it is not readily available to consumers who have purchased flex fuel vehicles. In addition, purchases of E10 add up on a national level to relatively small amounts of ethanol. We won't get close to using 9 billion gallons in 2008 by pumping E10.
Instead, refiners need to produce mid-level ethanol blends such as E20 and E30. The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) and the U.S. Department of Energy have been doing research with groups such as the Minnesota Center for Automotive Research, which shows that E20 and E30 blends can provide better fuel economy than regular gasoline, with fewer harmful tailpipe emissions.
However, at Senate Energy Committee hearings, Charles Drevna, president of the National Petrochemical & Refiners Association, said that mid-level blends eat away at automotive pipes and create engine problems. "In order for blends between E10 and E85 to be viable in the fuel supply, automakers will have to certify that cars can run on those blends and warranty those vehicles," he adds.
There is already some evidence that mid-level blends work. In the ACE tests, three different model autos were used. All of the vehicles got better mileage with ethanol blends than the ethanol's energy content would predict, and three out of four (one model was represented by both an FFV and conventional car) traveled farther on a mid-level ethanol blend than on unleaded gasoline. The three non-flex-fuel vehicles tested operated on levels as high as E65 before engine fault codes were displayed.
A big problem, then, is compatibility for older vehicles. This poses an opportunity for the aftermarket to see how conventional cars can be adapted so mid-level blends can be used. However, the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) is not working to resolve these issues, says Ann Wilson, the association's vice president of government affairs. Individual member companies may be different.
Before a mid-level blend could be sold, the EPA must receive a "waiver" application from a fuel manufacturer. That application must include data on the compatibility of materials with the new blend, durability, emissions impacts and drivability effects associated with the use of the waiver fuel. The EPA must make a decision to approve or deny the waiver request within 180 days or the waiver is automatically granted by action of the statute. Catherine Milbourn, an EPA spokeswoman, says no waiver request has been received.
Stephen Barlas has been a full-time freelance Washington editor since 1981, reporting for trade, professional magazines and newspapers on regulatory agency, congressional and White House actions and issues. He also writes a column for Automotive Engineering, the monthly publication for the Society of Automotive Engineers.
