E15 Won't Save You Much, But Washington And Corn Farmers Will Probably Push It Anyway

[dalton99a]

https://jalopnik.com/e15-wont-save-you-much-but-washington-and-corn-farmers-1848731140

E15 Won't Save You Much, But Washington And Corn Farmers Will Probably Push It Anyway
The Biden administration is reportedly considering lifting a summer ban on gasoline with higher ethanol content for very slim savings at the pump.
By Adam Ismail

But how much cheaper would E15 gas be versus E10? We’ve been here before — in fact, the last time gas prices peaked. Ethanol is cheaper by the gallon but less energy dense than gasoline. Compared to E10 fuel, which is pretty much ubiquitous, E15 might only save about five cents. Here’s how Edmunds broke it down almost a decade ago, the last time the corn lobby was pushing year-round E15 hard: ....

That’s the other side of the equation — even though E15 is a little cheaper at the pump, you end up buying a little more of it in the long run, because your car won’t go quite as far on a tank of the stuff.

Speaking of, “your car” in this scenario is a key concern. In 2012, the EPA approved E15 fuel for all vehicles model year 2001 and newer. Car manufacturers and AAA, of all entities, contested that blanket recommendation:

The American Petroleum Institute says a three-year study conducted by automakers and the oil industry found that E15 is a consumer safety issue for a majority of drivers with pre-2012 vehicles. “Our testing of a range of ethanol levels at 15% to 20% has identified issues about engine durability,’’ API group director and engineer Bob Greco says.

Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner has proposed legislation requiring the EPA to authorize an unbiased study of E15, agrees with the AAA. “(The) findings affirm what we have already heard — E15 causes premature engine damage and voids warranties, even on new models,” the Wisconsin Republican says. “Concerns about E15 are not diminishing, they are increasing. That is telling. When an organization like AAA, a nationally trusted source for motorists, calls out the EPA, you would think the (Obama) Administration would listen.”

Casey's gas pump in Mt. Carmel, Ohio shows blue for unleaded 88 or E15.

[Jerry2144]

1. A savings of five cents

Is invisible to users since prices change by more than that on a frequent basis. And the damage to cars would be much worse. My car’s manual says to not run more than E10.

[dalton99a]

3. And nowadays it is not a trivial matter to get yourself another vehicle

to replace the vehicle with a ruined engine

[dsp3000]

4. I was never a believer in ethanol in fuels for environmental or cost reasons- makes no sense!

you waste farmland to put corn in fuels when that land can be used to make food for animals or humans
you gum up your small engines, creating more waste in the landfill
you ruin the engine for your car, so you send it to the junkyard and get another vehicle, which causes even more waste

[Jerry2144]

7. Not to mention

How much water and fertilizer and fuel is needed to farm and harvest the corn, transport it, then make it into alcohol. The energy cost to make a gallon of ethanol is more than the energy you get from burning it. Complete waste of resources. But it makes Agribusiness even richer at the expense of the common human. It must be a Republican program since It is so harmful

[walkingman]

2. Farmers are only buried 3 ft vs 6 ft so they can stick their hand up for Govt. handouts.

[dalton99a]

5. And vote for Republicans

[thatdemguy]

6. Ethanol in fuel is not cheaper

Its just the .gov hands checks to mega farmers to subsidize the costs.

[hunter]

8. Imagine if we could take all the land used to grow corn for ethanol and restore it...

... to something resembling its natural state, making it a home for wildlife while protecting our water and soil.

Endless fields of chemically treated corn are some of the most barren lands on earth; places of little ecological diversity.

Even traditional specialty farming would be preferable, with wetlands left undisturbed, a few cows, and smaller fields where crops are rotated annually.

Fuel ethanol should not be subsidized, and it wouldn't be if not for the flaws of our Constitution that give rural areas disproportionate political power. The votes of these rural voters are easily bought by giant corporations who are only interested in profits, not the health and happiness of the people who grow their corn, or the quality of the natural environment.