Dependence on foreign oil is a hot topic, however it isn’t a new one. Each and every president since Jimmy Carter has said something about yet. Ethanol is one of the many substitute fuels that have been suggested. Over the last few years, gas suppliers have been mixing gasoline and ethanol, in a solution called E10, or 10 percent ethanol. The determination of whether to approve E15, or a 15 percent ethanol gas solution, is being weighed by the EPA. There isn’t a great deal of science out on it yet. That is why auto makers are urging the EPA to wait on deciding.
The Environmental Protection Agency weighs in on E15
The EPA has the oversight on approving new fuels. Right now, it is weighing the merits of E15. E15 is the next step up from the already widely sold E10. It has a mixture of 15 percent ethanol to 85 percent gasoline. According to Popular Mechanics, the Department of Energy is currently testing the effects of E15 on cars newer than 10 years old. That isn’t an incredibly realistic testing range. About 88 percent of all vehicles in use in the United States of America are over 10 years of age. The EPA has been lobbied by the Auto Alliance not for making a decision just yet. The effects on older automobiles from E15 should be known before being given approval. At least one study, by engineering group Ricardo, Inc., found that E15 has no harmful effects on autos older than 10 years.
Fuel from ethanol
Ethanol, also known as ethyl alcohol or more colorfully as moonshine, is a distillation of alcohol from grain. It is a flammable and combustible chemical. However, there is a hitch. According to Wikipedia, ethanol has 34 percent less energy by volume than gas does. As result, an ethanol-only engine uses 50 percent more fuel than a gasoline engine. With greater compression, ethanol engines can produce more power and become more efficient. However, ethanol as a fuel has not been proven to achieve greater fuel efficiency, or miles per gallon, than gasoline has.
Unintentional outcomes
A large amount of grain is already getting used for a fuel crop. However, ethanol will never be able to supplant gasoline as a fuel. Grain will become more scarce, and therefore increase in price should much more of the grain harvest be converted to fuel. Having a cheap abundance of grain crops is what makes civilization itself possible.
Additional reading
Popular Mechanics
popularmechanics.com/cars/alternative-fuel/biofuels/renewable-fuels-association-urges-epa-to-approve-e15-for-older-vehicles?click=pm_news
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol_fuel
