EPA Expands E15 Ethanol To 2001 Model-Year Vehicles
The EPA has followed up its ruling allowing E15 ethanol blends (15% ethanol, 85% gasoline) to be pumped to vehicles built for the 2007 model-year and later, now allowing the corn juice-enhanced gasoline to be distributed to any vehicle built after 2001. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson announced the decision to Bloomberg arguing
Wherever sound science and the law support steps to allow more home-grown fuels in America’s vehicles, this administration takes those steps
But, as is the case with most ethanol-related decisions, this has more to do with politics than science. After nearly ending the boondoggle known as the “Blender’s Credit,” which pays blenders for every gallon of ethanol they mix into America’s fuel supply, congress relented to lobbyist pressure and extended the $6b per year giveaway for another year. And with that financial incentive in place (along with a “renewable fuel mandate”) but little to no consumer demand to support it, blenders need to find ways to slip ever more ethanol into American gasoline. But, as a recent study proves, even E15 won’t beat the so-called “blend wall”: at best E15 gives the ethanol industry four years of taxpayer-fattened profits before it will be forced to come back and ask the government to yet again increase the amount of ethanol allowed in the gas supply.
Meanwhile, the auto industry that once saw ethanol as a prime opportunity for low-cost greenwashing has made an about-face and is suing to stop the spread of E15, arguing that its effects on engine life haven’t been adequately studied. And because ethanol offers little to no benefits relative to gasoline in terms of environmental or efficiency impacts, the fact that the EPA may be endangering automobile engines in order to keep an oversubsidized industry on (expensive) life support is beyond galling. It’s clear that, with the legislative and executive branches of government held in sway by ethanol-friendly farm states, motorists are now dependent on the court system to do the right thing and end government’s senseless love affair with ethanol.
More by Edward Niedermeyer
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Ouch, my turbo-charged WRX is already choking on lousy 91-Octane California gas. I foresee no price reduction even with E15, E55, E85...
Let's face real facts; real 100% gasoline is nearly impossible to find now. So BECAUSE I saw this coming when it was announced for 2007 and newer cars (though it is not in stations YET), I wrote to both manufacturers of my cars and got back information stating that using E15 WAS GOING TO INVALIDATE MY WARRANTY on both my cars (one 2009, the other 2010). The manufacturers were Subaru and Hyundai. Please check with your own manufacturers. So I wrote them back and indicated that not only would I do my best to ensure that only E8 to E10 was used in the cars, but I would actually keep proof. How on earth could I do that? By ONLY using "Top Tier" gasoline, that's how. Here is the link to which oil companies are approved as "Top Tier" gasoline providers (and every gallon of their fuel MUST meet standards). http://www.toptiergas.com/retailers.html Here is the relevant section of importance to us all: 1.3.1.2 Base Fuel. The base fuel shall conform to ASTM D 4814 and shall contain commercial fuel grade ethanol conforming to ASTM D 4806. All gasoline blend stocks used to formulate the base fuel shall be representative of normal U.S. refinery operations and shall be derived from conversion units downstream of distillation. Butanes and pentanes are allowed for vapor pressure adjustment. The use of chemical streams is prohibited. The base fuel shall have the following specific properties after the addition of ethanol: Contain enough denatured ethanol such that the actual ethanol content is no less than 8.0 and no more than 10.0 volume percent. You might also want to know that the Historical Vehicle Association has come out against E15, probably because once this fuel is introduced for "newer" cars, before long the government would start mandating it for all motor fuels, thereby totally ruining literally millions of old cars (as well as boat motors, small engines, etc.) http://historicvehicle.org/