[3] While it seems confusing, this is done mainly to offer better cold-starting performance-which is a problem with ethanol fuels. But that's pure ethanol, not E85. The good news is that all things being equal, when tuned properly E85 will make at least as much power as gasoline of comparable octane, and often a little more. You need 1.67 gallons of 85 octane gas. Cold cranking in cold climates is the primary reason ethanol fuel is blended with any gasoline fraction. Therefore, it must be avoided. Get a 93 Octane Gas Station on the Map. [18] As the impending consequences of global-warming loom around the corner, the United States government passed a mandate to require increasing amounts of ethanol in gasoline. Moving up in concentration, like going from E65 to E85, does not generate the same 3-point jump in octane. © 2021 Hot Rod | MOTOR TREND GROUP, LLC. Corn used to produce ethanol contains a high amount of starch and is not easily digestible by humans, like sweet corn. We've all seen Sprint cars and Alcohol dragsters frosting up after a good run. In countries like Australia where E85 is always 85% ethanol (and pump fuel with varying fractions is called "flex fuel"), performance motoring enthusiasts and motor racing clubs/championships use E85 extensively (without the need for any FFV certification). Another option is to brew your own E85. For vehicles with in-tank-mounted fuel pumps, precautions to prevent arcing, as well as flame arrestors positioned in the tank's fill pipe, are sometimes used. In one US test, an early model 2.75-ton Chevy Tahoe FFV averaged 18 MPG (U.S. gallons) for gasoline and 13 MPG for E85, 28% worse than gasoline. By way of international price comparison, in the Cook Islands as with many of the Pacific Islands, cost of producing 100% ethanol from coconut biomass is a fraction of obtaining fossil fuels. Knock occurs when the fuel-air mixture in the cylinder does not experience an ideal burn. Josh Ksiazkiewicz is a GM Powertrain engineer and one of GM Performance Division's resident E85 gurus. While the stoichiometric (chemically ideal) air/fuel mixture ratio for gasoline is approximately 14.7:1, with ethanol it is around 9.79:1. In some cases, FFVs use specific engine oil that neutralises acidity. E85 critics contend that ethanol producers may not reduce carbon emissions due to the petroleum and natural gas used in raising corn and refining it. Stainless steel fuel lines, sometimes lined with plastic, and stainless-steel fuel tanks in place of terne fuel tanks have been used. Having a guaranteed ethanol fraction obviates the need for a vehicle system to calculate best engine tune according to maximise performance and economy. Not this time. Lucky us: We get to bypass all the left-wing poppycock and right-wing folderol and focus on this issue solely as it relates to hot rodding. Where do I find the closest E85 gas station around my location? Ethanol has much the same property, just to a lesser degree. E85 advocates say that corn prices have increased due to manipulation of the commodities markets and because American corn companies sell more and more US-grown corn to Mexico and China, creating more competition for corn buyers, and therefore driving up its price. Then, use this equation to find your octane: ( [ % Fuel A ] x [ Octane of Fuel A ] ) + ( [ % Fuel B ] x [ Octane of Fuel B ] ) = Octane of Mixture. Supply can be a big problem depending on where you live. E85 has an octane rating higher than that of regular gasoline's typical rating of 87, or premium gasoline's 91-93. These emissions are hydrocarbons (HC), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Class 1 is summertime E85, and needs to have a minimum of 79 percent ethanol (so even E85 doesn't have to be E85). Also, E85 is perfectly legal for road use, and depending on where you live, it is available straight off the fueling island at your local gas station. E85 is a combination of ethanol and low octane gasoline. Naturally, availability is best in the Corn Belt. Pump Octane Number: Average of RON & MON. EPA is conducting additional analysis to expand our understanding of the emissions impacts of E85. Some say that cellulosic ethanol produced from waste materials or fast growing non-food crops such as switchgrass is much more beneficial, but not yet economically practical at large scale. [1] This is due to the lower heating value of neat ethanol making it difficult to crank engines in relatively cold climates without pre-heating air intake, faster cranking, or mixing varying fractions of gasoline according to climate. Here in Illinois, the octane of regular and premium gasoline is usually 87 and 93 respectively. For (R+M)/2 octane rating, E50 and E85 are almost identical. And that points directly to one of the clear tradeoffs with E85: When you pump in roughly 25 percent more fuel, you take an approximate 25 percent hit in fuel economy as well, though it can be offset somewhat with careful tuning. Class 1 or "pure" E85 contains 80 to 84 percent ethanol, while the remainder of the blend is commercial-grade (around 85 pump octane) gasoline. What we can do is compensate for it by delivering more fuel mass to make up the difference.". They claim that some ethanol engines have already produced 22% more miles per gallon than identical gasoline engines.[2]. •Pre-1984 vehicles (carbureted, vehicles without a knock sensor) could operate on suboctane like 85, 86; today’s vehicles are designed to operate on the same octane at all altitudes. Here is a map of stations where you can buy E85 fuel. 59 (Issue 8), Atmospheric Environment, Vol. But that proportion is rising: E15, which has twice as much ethanol as regular gasoline (which contains up to 10 percent ethanol already), is spreading around the country , and more stations are offering E85 as well. [8], A study by Purdue University found that the economic benefit of E85 is highly dependent on the price of crude oil. Sunoco E85-R is an unleaded racing fuel containing 85 volume % ethanol. Recently we looked in on a dyno shootout Urban conducted featuring gasoline versus E85. Others say that the world can easily replace all of its use of petroleum by simply making ethanol from the many crops that yield more ethanol per acre than corn yields, with existing technology, not future technology,[11] and that certain elements in the cellulosic ethanol field are more interested in patent rights than in producing the greatest amount of ethanol at the lowest price point. Both of those blending efforts raise the AKI by three full numbers. In the U.S., unleaded gasoline typically has octane ratings of 87 (regular), 88–90 (midgrade), and 91–94 (premium). [21], The examples and perspective in this article, The examples and perspective in this section, US EPA/OAR/Office of Transportation & Air Quality/Advanced Technology Division and FEV Engine Technology; Inc. "Economical, High-Efficiency Engine Technologies for Alcohol Fuels", Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, Vol. E85 was at least 20% less expensive in most areas as recently as 2011.
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