Filed under: Ethanol, Flex-Fuel
Got no gas? Use E85 to escape the hurricane
Photo by Pixthree. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.
While Hurricane Ike caused gas to shoot up to $5 a gallon in some areas, one problem in the direct path of the storm was a total lack of gasoline. But, for one University of Houston mechanical engineering student, the absence of gasoline didn't stop his evacuation: he just filled up with E85 and kept on moving. A story on Expo TV about senior Chris Reudelhuber's flexfuel dash to safety reads a bit too anti-hybrid to take seriously, but it does point out one aspect of flexfuel vehicles that certainly doesn't get much attention: the ability to fill up with whatever is available when supply gets tight. Thanks to Adam B. for the tip.
[Source: Expo TV]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Don 8:07PM (9/19/2008)
Hey, you use whatever you can to escape a Hurricane.
Reply
tankd0g 10:06PM (9/19/2008)
You could put E85 in any car actually, if it's life or death what have you got to lose...
Reply
Jacob 10:12PM (9/19/2008)
"Current hybrids run solely on conventional gasoline, decreasing their effectiveness during fuel shortages."
Why do they single out hybrids? Plenty of vehicles only run on gas and they don't mention hybrids anywhere else in the article.
Reply
Wise Golden 11:13PM (9/19/2008)
Not sure what to make of this story. All cars will run on E85 for ten’s of thousands of miles, and maybe more. Flex Fuel vehicles guarantee that the car will go for 100k miles. That’s really the only difference.
Reply
why not the LS2LS7? 1:25AM (9/20/2008)
Depends on the car. Your car needs an O2 sensor (which they all do now) but it also needs slightly oversized injectors so it can squirt in more fuel when running on E85 in order to use up all that oxygen the O2 sensor is telling the computer isn't being used because E85 contains less energy per unit volume.
If you car doesn't have big enough injectors, you would do well to not go above half revs, then the injectors even if not oversized should still be able to get enough fuel in. Also, if your car is more than a few years old, you won't want to floor it anyway, because if you do it'll enter open loop mode (ignoring the oxygen sensor) and run far too lean.
larry hagedon 5:43PM (9/20/2008)
I know of a 92 Chrysler that is often fueld with E-85. It runs OK.
If you are in to drag racing from stop sign to stop sign, it wont work but for driving sensibly it does just fine.
They are discovering that E-40, give or take a few drops, gives better milage and equal performance to gasoline in most standard or flex fuel cars and pckups. I have a congressman that always uses E-40, often hand blended from two pumps, when he can find it. He does it for the better mileage.
Chris 6:03PM (9/20/2008)
What a nice piece of hack journalism.
Hybrids (along with almost any modern car) can use E85... here's a thread from someone with a 2005 Ford Escape Hybrid doing just that. http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/f26/every-feh-can-run-e85-17206/
As long as you're not using wide open throttle, I don't see why the injectors can't put in the more fuel needed. (now, can we talk about how Ethanol has less power equivalent and therefore reduces fuel efficiency? E10 is a scam...)
The single tank range on most hybrids is at or more than 500 miles. How much more range do you need to escape a hurricane when you have several day notice? I know that I had multiple cars that were full of gas when Gustav was predicted to come my way. Why can't others do the same?
Reply
Chris 6:25PM (9/20/2008)
Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Class: Large Pickup Truck
Base price range: $24,345 - $38,090
Engine: 320-horsepower 5.3-liter V8
EPA mpg city/highway (gasoline): 16/21 (2WD), 16/20 (4WD)
EPA mpg city/highway (E85 ethanol): 12/16 (2WD), 12/15 (4WD)
Figure that in with a 26gal tank and that's about 416miles on a E85 tank or 546miles on a regular gas tank.
Note the 25% drop in fuel efficiency with the E85. Also note that at $5gal for regular and $4gal and E85 (going off the articles numbers), you're paying MORE per mile with E85. (23.8cents/mile for gas vs. 25cent/mile for E85)...
By the way, my hybrid would cost me 15.6cents/mile to go the same 546miles compared to the Silverado. A $45 savings (and that's giving the Silverado the high end MPG benefit of the doubt while using my 24,000mile real world MPG average)
Reply
Galley 9:00AM (9/22/2008)
I had to fill up yesterday, and was limited to $10.00. Gee, thanks. I guess I'l be riding my bike to work this week.
Reply