Ethanol
Ethanol is a renewable fuel because it is made from plants. It has had a place in motor cars since Henry Ford. There are a number of Ethanol and Gasoline blends to choose from, yet the most popular seems to be E10 (10% Ethanol and 90% Gasoline mix). All vehicles that run on gasoline can use E10. Check the fuel labels at your local gas station. E85 (85% Ethanol and 15% Gasoline mix) is the most popular "Alternative Fuel" which requires specialy manufactured flexible fuel vehicles (FFV).
Main BenefitsThe main benefits of ethanol are reduced Carbon Monoxide emissions, its production from sustainable sources like corn and its ability to be used without any modifications to existing car engines and gas station infrastructure.
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Main DrawbacksOne of the main drawbacks of ethanol is its adverse efffect on the price of food. It is a staple of ingredient of many foods we eat in the form of High Fructose Corn Syrup, and without heavy government subsidies, it is not economical to produce in the US. |
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The net effect
Even though ethanol can be directly substituted for gasoline or mixed with it as in E85 gasoline, it does however reduce your cars range. Along with reducing your range, it takes a lot of corn to produce which is currently economicaly more demanding than other sustainable technologies like hybrid cars or natural gas.
Acceptable for use as an additive in gasoline, but production is not effective enough to meet our driving needs.
Resources Accesable CFD Analysis software for the weekend warriors and moonlighters.
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