Your snark is okay but others' in response to your incorrect information is not. Understood.It's apparently a regional thing. No 88 octane around here. But the concern is his reference to E88 which does not exist. E is the prefix for ethanol fuel which the hybrid can not run on. OP's apparent confusion could result in him damaging his engine were he to somehow manage to put E85 in his vehicle.
You might enjoy snarking but I'd rather he didn't destroy his truck. Maybe you should spend more time snarking on reddit?
Now that we've cleared that up, back to the topic at hand...
While 87/88/89 octane sound like E85, they mean two different things.
Octane rating essentially has to do with "knocking" or "pinging" during combustion - higher octane ratings help to minimize this. Some engines are designed to run better or require higher octane ratings. That's the 87, 88, 89, etc. that you'll see on the pump. Unless otherwise specified, vehicles are designed to handle regular unleaded, which is often 87 octane. Maverick falls into this category, so it does not require more expensive fuels; regular unleaded is sufficient.
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/octane.shtml
The E number is different. E is ethanol, basically a type of alcohol derived from corn. It's alleged to be better for the environment than petroleum products, though it's less efficient by volume. That's where E85 comes in - it's a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. Due to the nature of ethanol, it requires the vehicle be designed for it, often carrying a "Flex Fuel Vehicle" branding. Neither Maverick engine is designed for this fuel. Do not use E85 in your Maverick.
Beyond that, unless otherwise specified, most gasoline in the US is sold as a blend, but in the opposite direction - mostly gasoline with a bit of ethanol. E10, probably the more common of the two, is 10% ethanol, 90% gasoline.
Some stations offer E0, which contains 0% ethanol. This is often preferred in use cases such as lawn equipment and other small motors. There's often little benefit in a street car to justify seeking it out and paying the higher price.
Then you get this "88 octane" stuff, which is also referred to as E15. Thus, it's 15% ethanol, 85% gasoline. Your Maverick is capable of handling E15/88 octane. However, keep in mind that the lower cost comes with lower fuel economy. Depending on the specifics, it may be cheaper to stick with 87 over 88, but you'd need to do some math to be sure.
All this to say:
No E85 in any Maverick
E10 regular unleaded (87 octane - higher elevations use a lower octane, but Ford recommends against it) is commonplace and perfectly fine.
E15 is also referred to as 88 octane, available in select markets. It's not likely to cause issues but may not be worth the cheaper price per gallon.
Feel free to experiment with higher grades of gas as well as E15/88 octane. Or just stick with regular unleaded/87. It's designed to handle any of those, so long as you avoid E85. And diesel.
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