Corn-Powered Fuel Catching On

E85, A Blend Of Ethanol And Gasoline, Is Cheaper Than Regular Gas

(AP)  Limited availability elsewhere was why Nye stopped to top off his tank at the Holiday station in Eagan, which sells more E85 than any other station in Minnesota. He was towing a trailer to Pennsylvania to move his daughter home from graduate school, and a check of the Internet showed Chicago would be his last chance to get E85.

The National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition has a nationwide station locator on its Web site.

Availability isn't usually a problem for Sara Westberg, who drives a government-owned flexible fuel 2000 Ford Taurus for her job with the Minnesota Department of Health. She said that in the past year she'd only rarely resorted to regular gasoline.

"I travel to all of the hospitals in the state, I drive probably 20,000 miles a year, maybe more," she said. "So the E85 makes a huge difference for me — and for the state."

General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co., DaimlerChrysler, Nissan Motor Co., Isuzu Motors Ltd. and Mazda Motor Corp. make flexible-fuel versions for certain models, sometimes only for sale as fleet vehicles. The differences under the hood are relatively few, so prices are similar to vehicles with comparable standard engines. But E85 should not be used in vehicles not designed for it.

One way to tell if a vehicle can use E85 is to check the owners' manual. Many flexible-fuel cars also have decals inside the fuel door saying they can use it. The National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition keeps a comprehensive list on its Web site, as well as a guide for telling definitively from the car's vehicle identification number.

Mileage is somewhat lower with E85 depending on the vehicle, Gerlach said, ranging from 2 percent less for some newer vehicles to 17 percent less for some older engines. But drivers say the lower cost per gallon more than makes up for that. By comparison, the E85 Nye pumped into his car was 22 percent cheaper than regular unleaded at the same pump.

Minnesota emerged as the nation's leader in E85 because it was one of three pilot markets, along with Chicago and Denver, in the U.S. Department of Energy's Clean Cities Program, Gerlach said. The program seeks to build up an alternative fuel infrastructure so people burn less gasoline, he said.

While regular gasoline prices have been rising, ethanol prices have stayed down because of a rapidly growing ethanol supply and federal tax subsidies. That's meant E85 running anywhere from 30 to 60 cents a gallon cheaper than gasoline.

Mike Jorgenson said he could save big money if he had a flexible-fuel vehicle for his daily 130-mile round-trip commute. His '97 Chevy Blazer gets a depressing 15.5 miles per gallon, he said, as he filled it up with regular unleaded from a pump that also offered E85 for 45 cents less.

"I really wish I had a vehicle that I could convert over to E85," he said wistfully.