Re: OT: Bad, bad ethanol

On 12 Feb, 15:25, Jeffrey Turner <jtur...@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Robert Carnegie wrote:
On 12 Feb, 12:35, Ron O <rokim...@xxxxxxx> wrote:
On Feb 12, 1:43 am, Walter Bushell <pr...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
dkomo <dkomo...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Also, I don't know how many people know this, but using the most common
ethanol fuel blend, E85, which is 85% alcohol, will get you
substantially fewer miles per gallon than gasoline -- something like 30%
less.  This decrease in mpg is expected because ethanol contains less
energy than gasoline.

Could you clarify the math, the alcohol is only 15% of the mix and it
causes a 30% drop in mpg because it has less energy than gas???

YMMV

It takes more 85% ethanol (E85 is 85% ethanol not 15%) fuel to run an
internal combustion engine than regular gasoline.  Methanol is worse.

Of course, if God Himself started miraculously to convert the carbon
dioxide in the sky into a carbon-combustion fuel that was only half
the mpg of gasoline, and gave it to Christians for free to use in
their automobiles, they'd be carbon-neutral, but just filling up twice
as often.  However, if you're paying for a tank of gas, it shouldn't
be a secret that ethanol doesn't go as far as the same volume (space)
of plain old hydrocarbon.  And it should be priced accordingly, at
least.  My first guess is that the oxygen atom in the alcohol molecule
is a passenger just along for the ride, although in actual science
class I don't think we ever did things that way.

I live near the Massachusetts-New York State border.  Someone wrote to
the local paper about how they got better miles per dollar buying the
more expensive pure gasoline in NY than by buying E-10 in Mass.

Whoops. But did they remember to discount the miles driven to get the
good stuff? And the time too. Or is it on their commute?
Furthermore, the trip itself may be a good fuel-miileage drive
compared to urban stop-go, which regular gas cars don't do
efficiently. But, as I say, it shouldn't count.

But economically, there isn't a reason for the same products not to be
sold at about the same prices all over, unless they have different
taxes or subsidies. I suppose if oil is imported from overseas, then
a long way inland in the U.S. gasoline should be cheaper.

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Ethanol
    ... ethanol, and I was wondering what happened to the car this fall. ... economy decline when using gasoline with ethanol. ... Ethanol has roughly 85% as much energy as gasoline, so e10 ... should lower gas mileage by about 3% or, in your case, about 0.7 mpg. ...
    (alt.autos.toyota)
  • Re: OT: Bad, bad ethanol
    ... ethanol fuel blend, E85, which is 85% alcohol, will get you ... substantially fewer miles per gallon than gasoline -- something like 30% ... causes a 30% drop in mpg because it has less energy than gas??? ... My first guess is that the oxygen atom in the alcohol molecule ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Interesting take on Ethanol and flex fuels
    ... Seems the MPG standards are based solely on the gasoline component of the fuel. ... But perhaps more interesting than some of the "hot" technologies we review is what you won't find here: any discussion of ethanol. ... January's North American International Auto Show could well have conveyed the idea that ethanol-based fuel would have been a hot topic this year. ... the federal government counts only the amount of gasoline a vehicle consumes getting from point A to B and ignores any ethanol it burns on the trip. ...
    (rec.autos.makers.saturn)
  • Re: OT: Bad, bad ethanol
    ... ethanol fuel blend, E85, which is 85% alcohol, will get you ... substantially fewer miles per gallon than gasoline -- something like 30% ... energy than gasoline. ... causes a 30% drop in mpg because it has less energy than gas??? ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Re: Interesting take on Ethanol and flex fuels
    ... purposes of CAPE) based solely on the gasoline component of the fuel. ... won't find here: any discussion of ethanol. ... the idea that ethanol-based fuel would have been a hot topic this year. ... city mileage of about 14 mpg on pure gasoline. ...
    (rec.autos.makers.saturn)
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