Almost every station I go to has ethanol (up to 10%) added to gas. For a long time I had the option in my area to buy non ethanol gas but now it’s harder to find.
If a gallon of ethanol gets less mileage per volume than gasoline, then how is it better for the environment if I have to fill that much sooner on gas because the ethanol component lowers my tank range?
In: 101
Normally I’m quite cynical, so I agree with the political motivation and also believe the environmental benefit had been extremely overstated.
However, what’s actually the main reason is that ethenol is a good octane booster. We have used a few octane boosters in the past. We add lead before in gasoline, and it turns out to be terrible lol. Then something called MTBE is used but it contaminates underground water when gasoline spill happens, so we end up with ethenol, something not really toxic when mixed with water, cheap to make, looked “green” on paper and most importantly, buys votes.
Normally I’m quite cynical, so I agree with the political motivation and also believe the environmental benefit had been extremely overstated.
However, what’s actually the main reason is that ethenol is a good octane booster. We have used a few octane boosters in the past. We add lead before in gasoline, and it turns out to be terrible lol. Then something called MTBE is used but it contaminates underground water when gasoline spill happens, so we end up with ethenol, something not really toxic when mixed with water, cheap to make, looked “green” on paper and most importantly, buys votes.
Normally I’m quite cynical, so I agree with the political motivation and also believe the environmental benefit had been extremely overstated.
However, what’s actually the main reason is that ethenol is a good octane booster. We have used a few octane boosters in the past. We add lead before in gasoline, and it turns out to be terrible lol. Then something called MTBE is used but it contaminates underground water when gasoline spill happens, so we end up with ethenol, something not really toxic when mixed with water, cheap to make, looked “green” on paper and most importantly, buys votes.
Ethanol is also a cheap way for manufacturers to increase octane rating of lower quality gasoline.
It’s a win-win for the producer and a lose-lose for the customer. And it does little for the environment, especially if you consider the entire process from production to use.
Ethanol causes many long term issues, especially with small engines from lawnmowers to outboards.
Engineering Explained on youtube did a really interesting video on ethanol added to gasoline about a week and a half ago. You can look it up on your own, but it is very not ELI5. The tl;dr though is that E10 is basically worthless, while E20 and higher is actually capable of slightly improving fuel economy despite being less energy dense. This is due to various other characteristics and effects ethanol has, which EE’s video explains.
Worth noting, however, is that part of getting more efficiency out of ethanol involves higher compression ratios.
Engineering Explained on youtube did a really interesting video on ethanol added to gasoline about a week and a half ago. You can look it up on your own, but it is very not ELI5. The tl;dr though is that E10 is basically worthless, while E20 and higher is actually capable of slightly improving fuel economy despite being less energy dense. This is due to various other characteristics and effects ethanol has, which EE’s video explains.
Worth noting, however, is that part of getting more efficiency out of ethanol involves higher compression ratios.
Ethanol is also a cheap way for manufacturers to increase octane rating of lower quality gasoline.
It’s a win-win for the producer and a lose-lose for the customer. And it does little for the environment, especially if you consider the entire process from production to use.
Ethanol causes many long term issues, especially with small engines from lawnmowers to outboards.
Engineering Explained on youtube did a really interesting video on ethanol added to gasoline about a week and a half ago. You can look it up on your own, but it is very not ELI5. The tl;dr though is that E10 is basically worthless, while E20 and higher is actually capable of slightly improving fuel economy despite being less energy dense. This is due to various other characteristics and effects ethanol has, which EE’s video explains.
Worth noting, however, is that part of getting more efficiency out of ethanol involves higher compression ratios.
Ethanol is also a cheap way for manufacturers to increase octane rating of lower quality gasoline.
It’s a win-win for the producer and a lose-lose for the customer. And it does little for the environment, especially if you consider the entire process from production to use.
Ethanol causes many long term issues, especially with small engines from lawnmowers to outboards.
It just increases the octane of petrol, probably saves money in fuel production, not great for older cars. does not do much to regular cars, e85 is great for modified stuff with turbos etc etc.
Latest Answers