Ethanol is a popular and environmentally friendly fuel which when used as a transportation product reduces the need for foreign oil and fossil fuel. Over two million miles have already been driven on an ethanol blend of 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline (E10). E85 is the term used for motor fuel blends up to 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. E85 is considered an alternative fuel under federal and state laws.

Ford, GM, Chrysler, Mazda, Isuzu and Mercedes offer approximately 20 different models of cars and trucks capable of using any mix of gas and ethanol -up to 85% ethanol- without modification. These vehicles are available from most new car dealers for no additional cost. Nearly three million of these Dual Fuel or Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) are presently on the road. Approximately 240 US gas stations now offer E85 and more are added each month. For national locations see www.e85fuel.com

E85 has the highest oxygen content of any fuel currently available. The Argonne National lab has concluded use of corn-derived ethanol can reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by 14-19 percent when compared to gasoline. E85 is a higher performance fuel with an octane rating of 105-110. E85 users will notice a mileage and range reduction of 10%-30% because a gallon of ethanol contains only 70% as much energy as a gallon of gasoline. However, since a vehicle will perform better on ethanol than on gasoline, vehicles can be ethanol-optimized (capable of running only on ethanol) to achieve superior gas mileage as compared with gasoline.

Ethanol is nontoxic, renewable and biodegradable, and can be made from almost any agricultural feedstock from which starch is derived, such as sugarcane, sorghum, wheat, cheese byproducts and wood waste, municipal solid waste, animal manure and sewage sludge. New Mexico has one ethanol production facility in Portales that produces 15 million gallons of ethanol per year from Milo (sorghum). According to the American Bioenergy Association, biomass used to produce ethanol could reduce our oil imports upwards of 50%!

Although the vast majority of ethanol is currently produced from corn or corn byproducts, ethanol can be made quite economically from cellulosic sources as well. Thus ethanol could be produced from forest thinnings that must be removed from the forests of the Southwest in order to prevent catastrophic fires.

When combusted, ethanol is carbon neutral when made except for the use of fossil fuels used during its production. That is, the carbon released when ethanol is combusted is recaptured when new plants are grown to reproduce more ethanol. Combustion of fossil fuels, on the other hand, circumvents the natural carbon cycle by releasing carbon that has been locked away by nature without providing a way to reabsorb the newly released carbon. Thus, the use of carbon-neutral ethanol helps slow down global warming.

Comparison of Energy Yield from One Btu of Fossil Energy Used

According to studies by Argonne National Laboratory, Use of cellulosic-produced E85 would achieve a 68-102% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, a 70% reduction in petroleum use and a 70-79% reduction in fossil energy use.

Ethanol Emissions as Compared with Gasoline Emissions
(from EPA Fact Sheet EPA420-F-00-035)

Ethanol has a long history of use with automobiles. Henry Ford designed a car in 1880 to run solely on ethanol. His first mass produced car - the Model T - could operate on either ethanol or gasoline. Brazil is the world's largest user of ethanol as an automobile fuel. 15% of Brazil's cars run on 100% ethanol (E100). The rest use an 20% ethanol/80% (E20) gasoline mixture. Ethanol then, offers a practical, affordable, alternative to gasoline. Instead of burning up on a couple of hundred years what it took nature 100 million years to create, we can make our transportation fuels in real time.

And biofuels have other benefits - no holes need be drilled in sensitive environmental areas, no tankers need risk spilling their toxic contents into the oceans, and no repressive regimes need be supported with our tax dollars. Best of all, production of biofuels like ethanol and biodiesel occurs domestically, which supports rural American communities and recycles waste products. Since these fuels are inherently cleaner, their use results in a dramatic reduction in environmental pollution and deleterious human health impacts.

Identifying Flex-Fuel Vehicles

Consult your operators manual Look in your fuel door for an ethanol notice On Ford Motor Co. products, look for the road and leaf logo Check your vehicle ID# or VIN number Consult the Flex-Fuel Vehicle list on this website

Ford FFV Logo

Ethanol as Hydrogen Pathway

Ethanol as a liquid fuel, is well suited to power the new generation of hydrogen fuel cell cars. Hydrogen can be reformed from ethanol onboard the vehicle, and existing ethanol distribution facilities can serve to provide hydrogen refueling infrastructure. Studies show that production of cellulosic ethanol can result in a net carbon reduction of up to 200%, vastly greater than any other form of hydrogen generation. Thus, ethanol is an ideal candidate to provide the foundation for the coming hydrogen economy.

Ethanol to Hydrogen CO2 Emissions Comparison