15% Ethanol Fuel Coming – Older Cars At Risk!
A new E15 gasoline blend containing more than 10 percent and
up to 15 percent ethanol is coming to American fuel stations, and the EPA has
adopted a special sticker to be placed on the pumps to warn motorists that the
fuel should not be used in older cars.
E15 should never be used in vehicles made prior to the 2001
model year, or in other vehicles like motorcycles and boats, as well as in
gasoline-burning equipment like lawnmowers and chainsaws. This is because the
fuel systems in these vehicles were not made to resist the chemical structure
of the ethanol, and the fuel will cause decay in the flexible fuel lines, fuel
pumps, and other elements of the fuel delivery system.
An automakers industry group called the Alliance of
Automobile Manufacturers is protesting the sticker, saying that it doesnt go
far enough. They say that
motorists should always read their cars owners manuals for directions on
proper grades of fuel.
If you are in the majority of drivers whose cars were made for
2001 or later, the sticker and the warning does not apply. You can use E15
without concern for your cars well-being. Those with older cars will need to
be careful not to use the E15, however.
This is not the first time that drivers have had to change
over when leaded gas disappeared from American pumps in the 1970s and 1980s,
drivers of older cars used additives to replace the tetraethyl lead, or had
their engines modified to run without lead in the fuel.
The question of whether E15 is a good idea remains open,
however ethanol concentration in fuel reduces power and fuel economy, and
ethanol costs far more than gasoline to produce, both from a cash standpoint
and an energy input standpoint. The United States government heavily subsidizes
the production of ethanol, hiding the true cost from the consumer, and adding
substantially to the federal budget deficit. Because of the heavy influence of
midwest corn-producing states in Congress and the importance of Iowa in the
Presidential selection process, elected officials are unlikely to challenge
this subsidy in the near future.
