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Hybrid running E85

Mavster Mechanic

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uh, no. But you could if you diluted it with water.

You don't need to get all the way to 100% before you hit the point that it will do damage going down, and then to where it ends up.

Getting it beyond 95% (iirc. or is it 90?) takes serious effort, and it will interact with pretty much anything, resulting in dilution.



At that price, it makes lots of sense (in an engine that can handle it).

The breakeven is somewhere around 75% of gasoline price.

(alcohol has 2/3 the energy of gasoline by volume. So what happens when you replace 75% with 2/3 is left as an exercise for the reader. :teehee: )
If you really want to know, yes, while not recommended I have downed a swig of 200 proof ethanol just to say I did. Technically probably 199.5. As you say 200 is difficult but possible to obtain. You are thinking of distillation. You cannot distill ethanol all the way to 200 proof. It reaches the ethanol-water azeotrope of approximately 95.6% ethanol and 4.4% water by weight that boils at a constant temperature of 78.2°C, which means the vapor that boils off has the same concentration as the liquid you are boiling.

To purify further you dehydrate the ethanol.

But generally speaking I was referring to "pure ethanol" not mixed with gasoline, your body could tolerate. While gasoline of course it cannot.
I use "tolerate" because I don't think ethanol is "good for you".
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Mavster Mechanic

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Hey all! New to the group, with my 2026 Hybrid AWD Maverick only a couple weeks old. Very interested in this thread. I’ve yet to fill with gas (just under 400 miles and still a quarter tank!) and with gas prices as they are, E88 is an increasingly cheaper option. The manual says the truck can take the fuel, and I’m curious if anyone has any real mileage numbers or experience.
It is important you do not get confused here.

"E" followed by any number 0 to 100 refers to Ethanol percent.

E10 = 10% ethanol
E15 = 15% ethanol
E20 = 20% ethanol
E85 = 85% ethanol and is the highest you will ever see at consumer pumps.

Do not confuse this with octane number. Octane number is a relative number that tells you how the fuel behaves in laboratory tests. Octane number is not a specific quantity of any ingredient. Gasoline is not required to contain any specific amount of octane or any at all.

87 Octane means the fuel behaved 87% as well as pure octane would.

91 Octane behaves 91% as well as pure octane would.

Ethanol contains zero octane molecules but has 13% better anti-knock behavior than Octane, so ethanol gets an Octane rating of 113.

E88 is not a product you can buy.
Octane 88 is - which has a bit of ethanol added to boost the octane higher.
 

Mavster Mechanic

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I don’t plan to ever run E88 through my hybrid. 87 top tier from Costco 95% of the time and top tier every other time.
E88 isn't something you can buy.
See the post above.

If some dumb station labeled such, they should be fined or fired.
 

Cherokee

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Here in florida hot weather 9 months out of the which requires turning on the ac 10 months out of the year i can fill up my 2024 hybrid maverick and average 585 miles per tank with ethanol 85 at wawa.
Versus the cheapest 87 octane I only get 520 miles per tank. Always fill up at wawa
Wawa has top tier fuel ? I didn’t see them on the list.
 

ScottyC

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E85 Ethanol has lower power/efficiency than regular, and regular, at least in winter is often 10% ethanol anyway (E90 if you will).
That is actually E10...

.....Engine and whole truck, original battery, etc were doing great at 250,000 miles when it got hit while parked by a careless driver.
What fuel was the careless driver using?
 

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MakinDoForNow

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I have 11-12 acres covered with ashe juniper aka blue berry Hill country cedar. Has almost 50% volatiles by weight, so I could go with wood gas😇. Maybe sell the left-over bio-char at farmers market?
 
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MattinFLA

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I only stated i get 580 miles to tank of gas in my 2024 hybrid using e87

I get 530 miles to a tank of gas using unleaded 85
 

Mavster Mechanic

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I only stated i get 580 miles to tank of gas in my 2024 hybrid using e87

I get 530 miles to a tank of gas using unleaded 85
First, you are not using "e87".
You are using Octane 87.

Second, where are you buying unleaded with 85 octane? While visiting Colorado or a neighboring mountain state?

It should not be sold in Florida or anywhere under 4000 feet elevation.
 

MattinFLA

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My apologies ethanol 89 is what has been getting me better gas mileage
 

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Seems east and west use different verbiage.

89 with ethanol would be more universal.
I've seen E15 sometimes sold as "88 octane" with a blue button or handle. Maybe the 89 with ethanol is E15?
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