Ethanol Gas Stations

Many drivers are not aware that the gas they buy often comes mixed with ethanol, which is a type of alcohol. The most typical ratio is 90 per cent gasoline and 10 per cent ethanol (E10), a blend that is approved for use in all new vehicle that s and in some areas are obligatory as part of a drive to decrease the reliance on fossil fuels. Brazil and the United States are the two biggest users of ethanol.

E10 is quite a common blend in several countries but in Germany, when the E10 standard was launched at ethanol gas stations in February 2011, drivers boycotted the fuel fearing it would damage the engines. The German car manufacturer’s association VDA reassured German motorists E10 is suitable for 93% of the country’s vehicles, but they were not easily persuaded. Germans prefer 98 octane fuel or E5, which has been available for longer.

Back in the U.S., an increasing network of ethanol gas stations will also sell E85, that is, 85% of ethanol and 15% of gas. For this, the driver needs a flex fuel vehicle. There are several websites listing ethanol gas stations that sell E85. One of them is E85refueling.com. The site is constantly updated and accepts contributions from users to grow its database.

Ethanol gas stations are likely to become easier to find. In 2010, Propel Fuels, a retailer of ethanol and biodiesel operating on the West Coast, received $11 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Energy and California Energy Commission to build and operate 75 self-serve alternative fuel stations across the state over the next two years. Propel said the initiative would displace 39 million gallons of petroleum and 187,500 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year.