ponnu

Gasoline could go from 10% ethanol up to 20%

By James R. Healey, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON ? Key backers of ethanol fuel are starting a push to double the amount of ethanol commonly blended with gasoline to 20%. The move would boost the market for grain alcohol, while skirting problems and controversy surrounding E85, an 85% ethanol fuel.

Blending ethanol ? alcohol typically now made from corn ? into gasoline is a way to cut petroleum use. A 10% ethanol blend, called E10, now is standard at many gasoline pumps across the USA. It can be used by virtually all gasoline vehicles, which is not true of the E85 being promoted as a fuel of the future.

Studies by the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State University at Mankato suggest that ordinary vehicles could burn a mix of 20% ethanol, called E20, as routinely and harmlessly as they now burn E10. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is to announce the study results at a conference here today.

"We see E20 not exactly as bypassing E85, but supplementing it," says Gene Hugoson, Minnesota agriculture commissioner.

A separate study, commissioned by the Renewable Fuels Association and not yet finished, will assess the environmental impact of doubling the alcohol.

Minnesota law requires 20% of fuel used be ethanol within a few years, making the matter more urgent there than elsewhere. The mandate could be satisfied if enough motorists burn E85 to raise the average to 20% ? or if E20 replaces E10 as the state's standard fuel.

Hitting the state's goal, as well as boosting U.S. ethanol use as much as the industry hopes, "will take awhile" relying on E85, Hugoson says. E85 availability remains limited mainly to the Midwest. It is potentially corrosive, making it hard to ship in pipelines and requiring special fuel system parts in vehicles. E85 also has far less energy than gasoline, so it takes more to go the same distance.

For E20 to become a legal fuel, however, it would need U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approval.

Automakers also have doubts that it is as benign as E10. They are running trials, but they say they do not have enough data on how risky E20 is to components and whether it would change emissions in unwanted ways.

"Our vehicles are able to handle E10, but to move to E20 there are technical issues. It's not that simple," says Ford Motor (F) spokeswoman Kristen Kinley.

General Motors (GM) spokesman Alan Adler says that in E20 tests in Australia, "40% of the vehicles sustained (catalytic converter) damage, which allowed essentially unchecked tailpipe emissions."

"We believe there's not data sufficient to prove that all vehicles will function OK with E20," says Reg Modlin, director of environmental affairs for Chrysler. "It's not a legal fuel, and it would void the warranty."

porsche911targa

I know that when it gets cold I'd rather have the alcohol in my belly while sitting by my fireplace and puffing on a nice Fuentes.

DD_545i

I'd rather be [huffing and] puffing on a [Daisy] Fuentes.

porsche911targa

True that!

dpritchett

What can you expect ... when the air temperature hits 75, our brains are totally fried

(F=5/9C+32)

AlexFW

Be calm guys, ric is a good guy!

Dave, there in UK you have a superb fuel: my car there indicated almost 800 km with the full tank!!
It's more expensive than in Italy, France and Germany, but its quality is better.

Ricracing

A fact is that even under 5 % ethanol with low octane can make problems for the older 545i, 530i cars.

In EU even some under 3% cars have had problems.

1BRACE
isn't it EPA mandated now that all gasoline sold at retail pumps in the U.S. have 10% ethanol added?

geekmedic
In most major metropolitan areas with heavy traffic, the EPA now mandates it. Here in Atlanta, you cannot legally purchase gas without ethanol in it (at least to my knowledge).

esmolol
My understanding is that the minimum gasoline rating for the e60 is 91 (R+M/2) and that the cars engine can use ethanol blend up to 10% does not void the warranty(that is a paraphrase from my owner's manual)

DD_545i

If it's interesting to anybody, Germany decided NOT to put any ethanol in it's petrol:

link to english article

KAF

So cutting through the ridicule and reading the Tech bulletin from Cobradav, it seems that up to 10% ethanol will not void the warranty, but any ethanol content may well affect the smooth running and performance of some BMW's.

From what I have read here it seems much of the fuel in the US has ethanol added.

Is that not the point of what ricracing said, many US fuels by being of different composition to those in Europe can pose problems for BMW in the US?

I know he has apparently used the phrase 'lower quality' which might be an unfortunate choice of phrase, but is not the general drift fairly accutrate?

DD_545i

Well that's the reason Germany decided not to add Ethanol, because it's not good for the cars. According to this second article in English adding Ethanol will "rot the hoses and gaskets of millions of car engines".