15% Ethanol Fuel? [LOCKED DUE TO POLITICS]

[shark978]

My initial guess would be that higher than 15% ethanol would make for corrosion issues over time. Probably due to coating formulations and all that.

That having been said, there's been so much FUD about ethanol that I know people willing to fight an hour's traffic each way just to fill up with ethanol- free gas from one station out in the middle of nowhere, because they're convinced it'll do I have no idea what.

One footnote on "food shortages"- most of them are distribution based, not supply based. We're growing more than enough corn. Then it hits the commodities exchanges and gets traded around until the fat cats think they've made enough profit. Same with the price of oil- it gets churned around the exchange until someone's made enough profit, *then* it hits the refinery. So the price you pay at the supermarket or pump has no actual relation to the price when the oil is pumped or corn is harvested.

Generally it's environmental laws and policies that prevent the flow of food or oil. See Keystone pipeline etc.

ethanol itself is a big farm scam. Those farmers have a very powerful lobby and they basically ramrodded through these regulations and laws (in the name of environmentalism) that a certain amount of fuel must be ethanol to create more market demand for their corn. Simple as that.

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[RatherBeDrivingaManual]

For me personally Ethenol is terrible. My car goes 450km on 15% ethenol, 640km on ethenol free 87 oct

 

[Randy H.]

Even with projected yields lower, we're still not hurting for grain or oil. This whole "food crisis" business is just media hype so the commodities market fat cats can have an excuse to raise prices and fatten their wallets. Just like how gas prices rose in 2008 and this year.

It's all a standard pump- and- dump, with the end consumer having to pay the bill at the end. We're not hurting for grain or oil. We never have been.

Reality check: most Americans do not realize the fact that 42% of all petroleum products refined in the US are exported. Add to that 90% of the dirty TAR oil sludge that comes from Canada (Keystone Pipeline) cannot be used for gas. *that’s right people, the Keystone media hype is about TAR oil used primarily for asphalt, roofing, and other industry products-not gasoline* I vote to stop exporting our US gas and let other countries deal with the Canada and Venezuelan TAR oils. Then the US supply goes up, our gas prices drop.

 

[Randy H.]

Just an FYI for the "we have so much corn" crowd who may not be aware. The feared food shortage is not because of a lack of farmland and capacity, but fears because of the amount of fertilizer production lost from the war. Russia and Ukraine play a major role in fertilizer production and the loss of that could be devastating, especially for poorer countries.
While WE certainly won't run out of corn in a worst case scenario, diverting any corn away from food could have major ramifications for poorer countries, especially when compounded by droughts and war hurting Soy, wheat and other global crop production.



We don't know how badly fertilizer supplies will be impacted by the war, but the potential for disaster is very real.

This isn't totally relevant to the primary topic obviously, but I had a feeling some posters may not have been aware of this concern in the context of the OP's mention of a food shortage.

I (the OP) didn’t say anything about a food shortage. Just to clarify.

 

[kNIGHKING00]

I think your confusing "low lead" and "ethanol E10, E15, E85"
All your pre 1990 cars would have suffered complete fuel system (fuel lines, carburetors and fuel pump) failure!
PLUS E10, E15 wasn't even legal to sell before 2001!

Now More purchasers presently can pick E85, which is a mix of up to 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent fuel, at a neighborhood gas station. To utilize E85, customers should utilize a flex-fuel vehicle or had a vehicle adjusted to utilize E85. Very less use E10 AND E15 nowadays.
One of the study, which was delivered in December 2007, observed that a few vehicles would be advised to eco-friendliness, significantly higher than gas, with a mix of 20% ethanol and 80 percent unleaded gas (E20). As per the review, "E20 offered a 15% mileage improvement over gas in one of the four vehicles, and E30 offered a 1% mileage expansion in two of the vehicles." No harm to the motors because of expanded ethanol was accounted for during the preliminaries.

 

[ShadowBlack XL440]

I (the OP) didn’t say anything about a food shortage. Just to clarify.

Randy, You are correct. It was I who introduced the food shortage concern. Your post was specifically mechanically related, if I am not mistaken. I may have sidetracked your topic into the heated ethanol debate.

 

[413 Maverick]

I (the OP) didn’t say anything about a food shortage. Just to clarify.

Randy, You are correct. It was I who introduced the food shortage concern. Your post was specifically mechanically related, if I am not mistaken. I may have sidetracked your topic into the heated ethanol debate.

Yup. It wasn't the OP. My bad.

 

[dalola]

lol....as he uses sweet corn as a prop.....

 

[MikeLawry]

As a plant scientist & horticulturalist... ethanol is a pipe dream, unsustainable unless we go all GMO and it is susceptible to uncontrollable weather conditions when agriculture wells all thru the Midwest have been going dry for yrs now. Anytime you turn to a single crop (monoculture) you amplify the problems that crop has. An example is Loropetallum shrubs, if you have ever been to FL you will see these purple, red-ish leave plants. Back in 2000 there were not that many Loro's but as more and more were planted their susceptibility to mites became known. Now every Aug/Sept the problem is a well known issue requiring spraying because the # of Loro's in the environment has increased by millions. Asian longhorn beetle, Dutch elm disease are other ex of how a living crop is decimated by a single change. We can not control our environment sufficiently to guarantee that mass grown crops can be reliable for a fuel source.

If we take away the gas & oil subsidies & fine oil drillers for not using the thousands of permits they already have that they are not utilizing we can gain control over the industry. Right now they see the current environment as ripe for profit and they are not going to use the permits they have till we fine them. They don't need to ruin more land by getting more permits they need to open the ones they have unused. Also the pro self reliance on US oil alone people do t also tell you American oil industry workers are the highest paid in the world, relying on American only oil will be more expensive than what we pay now.

Im confused if they see that the current environment is ripe for profit then why would they not use the current permits and begin drilling?

 

[Blue's Dad]

So, is running straight gas (0% ethanol) safe and effective with today's modern engines...specifically the engines in our Mavericks? There's a place not far from me selling it and I'd be willing to pay more for the increase in mpg if it's safe.

 

[mr mojo risen]

So, is running straight gas (0% ethanol) safe and effective with today's modern engines...specifically the engines in our Mavericks? There's a place not far from me selling it and I'd be willing to pay more for the increase in mpg if it's safe.

It’s absolutely safe. Other than the courtesy full tank I got from the dealer when I took delivery of my Maverick, it’s run 100% on ethanol free gas I get at work. No problems so far lol.

It’s the same fuel I use in my lawnmower, trimmer, chain saw etc at home, and I can keep the fuel in those tanks over the winter without having to use fuel stabilizers etc.

You’re probably going to have to pay a premium for 0% ethanol gas but that’s a separate discussion I can elaborate on further if interested.

 

[Wasatch-Man]

Reality check: most Americans do not realize the fact that 42% of all petroleum products refined in the US are exported. Add to that 90% of the dirty TAR oil sludge that comes from Canada (Keystone Pipeline) cannot be used for gas. *that’s right people, the Keystone media hype is about TAR oil used primarily for asphalt, roofing, and other industry products-not gasoline* I vote to stop exporting our US gas and let other countries deal with the Canada and Venezuelan TAR oils. Then the US supply goes up, our gas prices drop.

Sorry, but the Keystone XL pipeline transported crude oil that went to several US refineries. Not sure where you're pulling this "Tar oil sludge" nonsense from. You're entitled to your opinion, but not your own facts.

 

[landscpdesgnr]

Im confused if they see that the current environment is ripe for profit then why would they not use the current permits and begin drilling?

They want more permits...

 

[MikeLawry]

They want more permits...

As with all issues, there are a variety of factors that contribute to the lack of new drilling. I don't think the main reason oil companies are forgoing profit on unused permits is because they want more permits....that will go further unused?

 

[Bootstrap6]

Im confused if they see that the current environment is ripe for profit then why would they not use the current permits and begin drilling?

ripe for profit meaning ripe to goug consumers pockets.

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