I run E85 fuel in my flex fuel truck. I do so only to save a some money since I drive between 600 and 900 miles a week. My fuel mileage is about 2 mpg less but the price saves me about $3.00 or more each tank full. My truck is now seeing 70,000 trouble free miles running on this stuff. No oil consumption. No startng problems and the truck sits outside 24/7.Just a couple more thousand miles and I will be sending the oil into the lab so I can see how things are looking.
Right now the price has been creaping up on E85. If the price in not at least 40 cents less than Reg. grade gas than it is not worth using as it will not be saving me any money.
I found this in my searches.This is interesting.
Oil Industry vs. Ethanol Tax Incentives Summed Over Years Adjusted to 2000 dollars
( in Million Dollars)
PETROLEUM
Petroleum Tax Incentives 1968-2000
Excess of percentage over cost depletion...................$81,679-$82,085
Expensing of exploration and development costs.............$42,855-$54,580
Petroleum Tax Incentives 1980-2000
Alternative nonconventional fuel production credit .........$8,411-$10,542
Expensing of tertiary injectants ..........................$330
Petroleum Tax Incentives 1988-2000
Oil and Gas exception from passive loss limitation ............$1,065
Petroleum Tax Incentives 1994-2000
Credit for enhanced oil recovery costs ....................$482-$1,002
ETHANOL
Ethanol Tax Incentives 1979-2000
Partial exemption from the excise tax for alcohol fuels .....$7,523-$11,183
Ethanol Tax Incentives 1980-2000
Income tax credit for alcohol fuels .........................$198-$478
(Source: GAO/RCED-00-301R)