Gas prices are noticeably high. Ethanol is not exactly the most loved liquid in the country (unless you're a farmer or a politician representing a farm state). How might you be able to leverage these negatives into a positive? How about making sure people know that all of this corn fuel is saving them at the pump?

According to a news release from the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), gasoline that has been blended to include ten percent ethanol is six to nine cents per gallon cheaper at the pump than gasoline that contains no ethanol. ACE uses data from price reports by Axxis Petroleum and the Oil Price Information Service to arrive at these numbers. ACE says about two million gallons of ethanol are added to the nation's fuel supply every day.

[Source: American Coalition for Ethanol]

Like other companies, Ford has released a note stating that all Ford cars in Germany can run on E10. This blend of 10 percent ethanol into 95 RON unleaded gasoline will be standard in all German pumps starting in January 2009. There is, however, one exception: any Ford Mondeo 1.8 SCis built between 2004 and 2006. These models featured direct-injection technology that can't cope with the ethanol blend. The note was released so that Ford owners feel comfortable when they're at the pump. While adding a small percentage of ethanol to gasoline is a common thing in the U.S., it isn't in Europe, and so motorists there have expressed hesitation with the biofuel.

[Source: Ford]

We have recently seen how German automakers (BMW, Volkswagen) have announced that their engines are E10-ready. In fact, most cars currently running on German roads can take the biofuel.

This all started when Avia, one of Germany's largest gasoline distributors, announced that E10 was going to be available at most of its fuel stations in the country. According to Avia, the use of E10 allows motorists to reduce their net CO₂ emissions without any effort on their part. For a car that produces 220 g of CO₂, this means that E10 saves 15 grams because ethanol is a renewable source (of course, they don't mention how that ethanol was made, but let's assume it was "sustainable").

E10 also costs 3 cents per liter less than gasoline. Current prices in Germany are about 1.41 EUR/l (if you know that a gallon is 3.785 l and that 1 EUR is currently about $1.45 US, that makes $7.74 per gallon), so every little bit helps. E10's performance is almost equal to regular gasoline and most engines need no modification to burn it.

[Source: Auto-News Germany]

Photo: Flickr/lemoncat1 -- Creative Commons 2.0

"BOATERS BEWARE" is how a Portland, Oregon's local news KGW NewsChannel 8 report begins. What's the big threat? E10, which is gasoline blended with just ten percent ethanol. It seems, the report says and AutoblogGreen readers will remember, that when water gets into a fuel tank with E10, it can cause the engine to stop working. Old fiberglass tanks are the most susceptible to problems. The report recommends buying a filter and says the state government probably won't back off mandating E10's use. Water getting in the fuel tank is a big problem no matter what fuel you put in, but there is a small amount of water in most ethanol, which most older boat motors can't handle.

Related:

• Ethanol "tastes just like vodka"
• The Economist says everyone is wrong about ethanol
• Water demand for ethanol production causes concern

[Source: KGW News Channel]

By law, if a pump in Iowa provides gas that contains ten percent ethanol (an amount that is safe for almost all cars), the pump must have a label stating that the fuel contains ethanol. This can turn off some buyers who might be worried about the alcohol's lower energy content, and that equals lower sales of ethanol. This might change thanks to Iowa State Senator Jack Kibbie, who introduced legislation that would allow gas stations to remove the ethanol identification stickers. Sen. Kibbie says,"My goal is to increase the use of ethanol in Iowa. ... Sometimes, people driving through Iowa on the interstates, who don't know as much about ethanol as we do, see those stickers and say, 'I don't want any of that stuff!' So they put in high octane fuel that costs 10 cents a gallon more."

E85 and other alternative fuels would still require a label, but E10 labels could be removed and consumers could be sold ethanol-blended gasoline without warning. The Des Moines Register spoke with Jim Millick, a Davenport motorist who opposes Kibbie's Senate File 2137. He told the paper, "That is outrageous that they want to obscure the contents of the fuel that we buy in an effort to sell more... Have you ever heard of consumer labeling that actually takes away information from a consumer?" The bill could be debated on the Senate floor next week. Stay tuned for updates.

[Source: The Des Moines Register]

There are many people that say you can get better mileage with ethanol and you can even use blends higher than E10 in non flex-fuel cars. While controversial and only proven in tests done by mechanics or culled from impressions from truckers, there are finally some government and university studies to back up these amazing claims. The American Coalition of Ethanol has details and results from a study co-sponsored by themselves and the U.S. Department of Energy and conducted by The University of North Dakota Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) and the Minnesota Center for Automotive Research (MnCAR).

They study was done with four 2007 model vehicles: a Toyota Camry, a Ford Fusion, and two Chevrolet Impalas (flex-fuel and non). The cars took the EPA Highway Fuel Economy Test (HWFET) on ethanol-gasoline blends and normal gasoline. The results found "fuel mixtures with more ethanol than E10 but less than E85 - can in some cases provide better fuel economy than regular unleaded gasoline, even in standard, non-flex-fuel vehicles." In fact, along with three out of four actually traveling further on ethanol, "all of the vehicles got better mileage with ethanol blends than the ethanol's energy content would predict." The study even showed there was no engine fault signs when normal cars used blends up to 65 percent.

These are initial results and there will be more studies but can you imagine a day when ethanol blended fuels (cellulosic, naturally) actually get better mileage than regular gas? Not in special flex-fuel cars but normal every day cars on the street right now? Imagine reducing the pollution levels in all cars by simply changing the fuel blends while saving money in the process? Dare I hope?

[Source: The American Coalition of Ethanol via Green Car Congress and tipster Nathan]

We told you February that Toyota's racing series would use ethanol in 2007 and now we have a video of the first race from TV3, where they describe it as a world's first in motor sport. Toyota currently does not sell a flex fuel vehicle in the US market but they may sell flex fuel vehicles in the next several years. It may cost car makers as little as $100 to make a car flex fuel, and most cars are already built to tolerate ten percent ethanol blends in gasoline and Toyota does sell flex fuel vehicles in Brazil, so it's probably not a technology or cost issue. Why the wait, Toyota?

Related:

• LA 2007: Toyota Sequioa to get Flex-fuel option in fall 2008
  
• Toyota looking at a plug-in hybrid, flex-fuel vehicles?
• Toyota To Unveil Flex-Fuel Tundra In North America In 2008
• Toyota to intro flex-fuel Tundra, hopes it will help sales in the Mid-West
• World Touring Car Championship to run ethanol exclusively from 2009
• American Le Mans Series moving further into biofuels
• First-ever all-ethanol Indy 500 has a winner...

[Source: YouTube]

The Association of Oil Pipe Lines along with the U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration will study the effect of E10, E15 and E20 blends on corrosion and cracking of pipelines. The results of the $700,000 study is expected in 12 to 18 months and the goal of the study is to find out three main things: how much ethanol can be sent down existing pipelines, what changes need to be made to mitigate the damage from ethanol to the pipelines and what kinds of designs are needed to make a pipeline that can carry ethanol.

Brazil uses ethanol pipelines but the idea has not gained much traction in the US because of perceived problems with pipeline damage caused by ethanol. Plus, here in the U.S., there are plans for dedicated train lines that would transport ethanol, for example a $150 million project in Nebraska that could be complete in 2010 if it gets funding. The train pipeline would be made of three or four 95 to 125 car trains, could store 30 million gallons of ethanol and would shave about 9 cents a gallon off the cost ethanol for the plants. The price of ethanol has gone done 30 percent with an apparent glut in the market. How would an ethanol pipeline fare if the glut continues? "If there's no interest, that'll be the end of it," Kirk McClymont of Seminole Energy Services of Tulsa, the company behind the plan, told Businessweek.

[Source: Ethanol Producer Magazine, Associated Press]

Citibank says that the current low ethanol prices are going to last another six months or so. Until prices do go up, according an article by Robert Pore in the Grand Island Independent, the price of gas at the pump should remain somewhat low, thanks to that 10 percent ethanol blend in most of the gasoline supply in the U.S. Pore spoke with Steven Sorum of the Nebraska Ethanol Board, who said that the current excess ethanol production is what's driving prices down.

While Nebraska certainly makes a lot of ethanol, I do not think that Pore got his facts right from Randy Klein, director of market development for the Nebraska Corn Board. Pore writes that Klein told him that now that Nebraska makes 1 billion gallons of ethanol a year, Nebraska is "completely self-sufficient energy-wise, especially with all vehicles in the state operate on 100 percent ethanol." Say what? That's just incorrect.

Still, I think we can take Pore's point that cheap ethanol making up 10 percent of the gasoline can make the overall price for that gas cheaper. Farmers probably aren't happy about this, but if Citibank is correct, next year they'll be happy and everyone who buys gasoline won't be, not as much anyway.

[Source: Grand Island Independent]

Porsche announced yesterday morning that as early as this year, the automaker's engines will come into compliance with Europe's EU5 guidelines on CO2 emissions,which don't officially go into effect until 2009. More interestingly, they stated that it doesn't end there, as Porsche will be compliant with the even more stringent EU6 requirements at the same time. EU6 isn't set to go live until 2014, putting Porsche well ahead of the curve.

In tandem with the announcement on CO2 emissions reduction, Porsche pointed out that its current engine range is already engineered to run on E10, and that the Cayenne SUV can run on E25. A new FFV powerplant capable on running on gasoline alone or blends up to E85 is also being worked on, but there's no timetable for release at present.

This, combined with the confirmation this week that the Cayenne Hybrid is coming in 2009 and word that the system should be usable on all Cayenne powertrains -- including the monstrous 500-horsepower Turbo -- is great news for enthusiasts who'd like to have their cake and eat it too. One has to believe all this research will be applied in other areas sometime in the future. Can you imagine something like a biofueled 911 Turbo Hybrid somewhere down the line? I can. And I'm intrigued by the idea.

Press release after the jump, and we'll have more on Porsche in a little bit.

[Source: Porsche AG]

The St. Paul Pioneer Express (through the Great Lakes Pollution Prevention Roundtable) we discover that there could be a political fight brewing between the governor of Minnesota, Tim Pawlenty, and President Bush. Bush recently criticized local governments for requiring different blends of biofuels in different parts of the country, which raises gas prices and makes distribution more difficult. Minnesota has been requiring 10 percent ethanol blend in its fuel since 1997. Pawlenty said yesterday that Minnesotans would “fight ferociously” if the federal government tries to limit ethanol blends and that instead of criticizing local governments for taking the lead, the President should work for a national standard of at least E10. [Source: St. Paul Pioneer Express via GLPPR]

There are a lot of considerations that go into greening your car. Some folks don’t mind the initial high cost of a hybrid or the work that goes into converting a diesel engine to run on SVO. Others see the rising cost of petroleum-based fuels and look to green technologies as a money saver. Then there are those who don’t know the difference between E10 and E85. If you’re the latter, then this Wisconsin State Journal mini-article will interest you.
Ethanol changes the chemical make-up of gasoline when the two are blended together, and that may not be good for your car. A single accidental fill-up with E85 in your standard gasoline engine shouldn’t hurt too much, according to the article, and you can top off with standard gas after a few miles to minimize the fuel’s possibly harmful corrosive effects. [Source: Wisconsin State Journal. And thanks again to AutoblogGreen’s prolific tipster, Joel A]

Thanks in part to the strong Flexible Fuel Vehicle (FFV) market in Brazil, Toyota will begin selling FFVs in the United States by 2008, the Financial Times is reporting. While many of the 6 million FFVs on the American market can use up to E85, Toyota is worried about ethanol’s corrosive power on rubber and is suggesting E10 or E15 blends for its new car, the model of which has not been named. In the FT article, a Toyota spokesperson is quoted as saying the company is studying "all alternative fuels."
American manufacturers are leading the way with FFVs in the States, but having Toyota’s hybrid mind working on FFV should produce another solid alternative to pure gasoline engines. Reuters is reporting that Toyota will first produce FFVs for the Brazilian market and will “gauge the need” for FFVs in other markets.
Unsure what some of these acronyms mean? Check out this post.