Going Back to Real Gasoline?

[Gebo]

I seem to be understanding that our EPA is siding with oil vs ethanol producers. Am I understanding properly?

Are we gonna see less ethanol in our gasoline?

I sure hope so. I only want to see corn on the cob or on my grill in the form of pork, beef or chicken.

 

[atikovi]

If that's true, expect gas prices to rise.

 

[Lolvoguy]

Originally Posted by atikovi
If that's true, expect gas prices to rise.

Is there anything that doesn't cause gas prices to rise?

 

[RamFan]

Originally Posted by Gebo
I seem to be understanding that our EPA is siding with oil vs ethanol producers. Am I understanding properly?


Where are you getting this from?

The EPA recently expanded the sale of E15.

 

[mk378]

Because crude oil is relatively cheap now, it costs more to add ethanol than not. At the request of oil companies, the EPA has granted "waiviers" to allow many oil companies to sell straight gas if they want. They are still free to sell gasohol if the market favored it.

Somehow of course this will still translate to a price increase at the pump.

https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Corn-Industry-Battered-By-Shocking-Ethanol-Decision.html

 

[RamFan]

Originally Posted by mk378
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Corn-Industry-Battered-By-Shocking-Ethanol-Decision.html


Wasn't aware of this, thanks for sharing.

 

[Donald]

E10 is fine for cars driven on a regular basis. Its the boats, OPE and other items not used on a regular basis. And the boats whose gas tanks started to leak with E10 gas.

Now the idea of growing corn and then distilling it to ethanol and adding it at the terminal to a tanker load of gas may not make a whole lot of sense from an environmental point of view.

Add to that, exporting less corn and other countries cutting down forests to make fields to grow corn to make up for what we did not export makes even less environmental sense.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Originally Posted by Gebo
I seem to be understanding that our EPA is siding with oil vs ethanol producers. Am I understanding properly?

Are we gonna see less ethanol in our gasoline?

I sure hope so. I only want to see corn on the cob or on my grill in the form of pork, beef or chicken.



No. Will never happen. There's no substitute for ethanol so air quality would suffer in major metropolitan areas. Remember, ethanol is a substitute for MTBE which was phased out due to its carcinogenic properties.

There's no E10 boogeyman. There's no shortage of food or arable land because farmers are growing corn for ethanol,

 

[SeaJay]

Rumor and innuendo perhaps?

 

[E365]

I've been using at least E7.7 since 1997 here in Minnesota. STILL waiting to have even one of these "problems" ethanol is supposed to cause.

 

[Skippy722]

Originally Posted by E365
I've been using at least E7.7 since 1997 here in Minnesota. STILL waiting to have even one of these "problems" ethanol is supposed to cause.

Nothing but E10 here. Still waiting for all my OPE to him up... or my car to not start....

 

[Ws6]

Originally Posted by mk378
Because crude oil is relatively cheap now, it costs more to add ethanol than not. At the request of oil companies, the EPA has granted "waiviers" to allow many oil companies to sell straight gas if they want. They are still free to sell gasohol if the market favored it.

Somehow of course this will still translate to a price increase at the pump.

https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Corn-Industry-Battered-By-Shocking-Ethanol-Decision.html

I only buy straight gas. I dont have anything against other gasses, and other adults are free to do as they do, but my preference is straight. It just seems more like what was intended.

 

[SevenBizzos]

No problem with E10. I just don't like my regional mandate. But I live near the edge of the area, so if I "need" E0 I can access it.

 

[TiredTrucker]

Originally Posted by Gebo
I seem to be understanding that our EPA is siding with oil vs ethanol producers. Am I understanding properly?

Are we gonna see less ethanol in our gasoline?

I sure hope so. I only want to see corn on the cob or on my grill in the form of pork, beef or chicken.


The EPA doesn't mandate ethanol in all gasoline now, or even E10. Only 7 states mandate E10. The EPA has a mandate of 13 billion gallons of ethanol be used in the system, but it doesn't care if it is used as E10, E15, E20, E30, E50, E85, whatever. I primarily use E85, so I take some of the burden of those who don't want any ethanol at all in their fuel.

But, I guess you don't want to see spark plugs and some other elastomers or polymers. Yes, there are many byproducts of ethanol production. And spark plug insulators is one of them. Look it up.

But since only 7 states mandate the use of ethanol in gasoline, if yours is not one of them and you cannot avoid E10, then you need to find out why. It sure isn't the EPA.

https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2015/...in-your-fuel-fewer-than-you-might-think/

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted by E365
I've been using at least E7.7 since 1997 here in Minnesota. STILL waiting to have even one of these "problems" ethanol is supposed to cause.

That.

 

[pitzel]

Ethanol hysteria has largely proven to be unfounded. Having said that, its just common sense where ethanol ends up -- the further you are from an ethanol distillery, the less likely you are to see it in the retail pump petrol. And lower volume rural stations are less likely to have higher doses.

Allowing E15 would further optimize transportation and dosing of ethanol. With the proliferation of turbo direct injection petrol engines in mass market applications, ethanol augmentation becomes more useful and important than ever. Ethanol also enhances food security by soaking up chronic overproduction, which can be reduced if there are shortfalls.

 

[TiredTrucker]

All that is going on with E15 is the allowance for it to be sold year round. Up till now, it has only been authorized by the EPA on a seasonal basis. Even the Federal regulations do not allow the dispensing of E15 into vehicles prior to 2001. So there will not be any mandate on E15 either.

 

[TiredTrucker]

Originally Posted by pitzel
Ethanol hysteria has largely proven to be unfounded. Having said that, its just common sense where ethanol ends up -- the further you are from an ethanol distillery, the less likely you are to see it in the retail pump petrol. And lower volume rural stations are less likely to have higher doses.

Allowing E15 would further optimize transportation and dosing of ethanol. With the proliferation of turbo direct injection petrol engines in mass market applications, ethanol augmentation becomes more useful and important than ever. Ethanol also enhances food security by soaking up chronic overproduction, which can be reduced if there are shortfalls.


I live in the highest corn producing state in the U.S., I am surrounded by 46 ethanol plants (maybe more now) and yet I can get ethanol free gas quite easily. I live rural, 12 miles from 3 towns. And within 15 miles of my house there is over a dozen outlets where I can get ethanol free gas if I choose to. And I do for my small gas engine uses. While I can also get E10, E15, E20, E30, E50, and E85. For my personal vehicle, they have been on E85 exclusively for over 2 years now. Frequently for the last 10.

 

[Mad_Hatter]

Originally Posted by Ws6
Originally Posted by mk378
Because crude oil is relatively cheap now, it costs more to add ethanol than not. At the request of oil companies, the EPA has granted "waiviers" to allow many oil companies to sell straight gas if they want. They are still free to sell gasohol if the market favored it.

Somehow of course this will still translate to a price increase at the pump.

https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Corn-Industry-Battered-By-Shocking-Ethanol-Decision.html

I only buy straight gas. I dont have anything against other gasses, and other adults are free to do as they do, but my preference is straight. It just seems more like what was intended.

Ditto..I hate it when I get trans gas, oops, I forgot the pronoun..trans fuel....‚

Fwiw, I use E0 when referring to alcohol free fuel.

 

[GoldDot40]

Just a little fun FYI, when the EPA went to E10 and higher product, the fuel transport industry had to change the material the transfer hoses and gasket material to something rated for use with ethanol. The service life of the original hoses and gaskets was cut by almost 60% when E10 was mandated.

Another fun FYI...
In 2011, Mercury Marine conducted a study done using E15 and ethanol free gas in marine applications. It was a 300 hour endurance test. They used 2 identical pairs of different size outboard marine engines. The only difference was the gas used in each engine.

The 2 engines running E15 failed catastrophically before the tests were even completed. The 2 running non-ethanol fuel not only passed the endurance tests with flying colors, but upon a tear down inspection, there was nearly zero wear found in either of the 2 engines.