Although most gasoline has some blend of ethanol in it, usually 5-10% there is one type of fuel that has 85% ethanol, E85. In the U.S. there are over 2,200 E85 gas stations but most are focused in corn growing states or where its highly subsidized. Looking at E85 availability globally, there are not very many countries that use the biofuel. Finding countries other than the U.S. that use E85 is difficult but one country that does is Sweden. In an article by Ryan C. Christiansen, in 2009 Sweden took measures to ensure that there would be over 2,000 E85 gas stations by the end of that year. This would be comparable to the U.S. There have been many studies on E85 vs gasoline in fuel performance and costs. In most studies, these are the pros and cons.
E85 Pros:
- Renewable fuel, only uses 15% gasoline
- Price per gallon costs less than gasoline, varies from state to state
- Energy security
- Environmental benefits (less air pollution etc.)
E85 Cons:
- Less fuel performace/economy compared to gasoline (less mpg)
- Less mpg offsets lower price (have to fill up more often)
- Not readily available everywhere (only >2,200 states in all of U.S.)
- Food vs. Fuel debate
http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/wysiwyg/image/e85elkriver2.jpg
To read more on the comparison in E85 and gasoline:
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