by
jpj23
Aug 01, 2012
Redhornet, statistics paint a different picture. 4 of every 10 bushels of corn now go to make ethanol. It's an artificial market: EPA mandates its use so the price isn't free to fluctuate according to market forces. Also, chemistry isn't on the side of ethanol. A gallon of ethanol produces nearly 30% less energy than a gallon of gasoline. So if a gallon of gas-ethanol costs the same at the pump as a gallon of 100% gasoline, the blended fuel still ends up costing more because you can't drive as far on the blended fuel. Plus, ethanol is hygroscopic: it absorbs water from the atmosphere, so it creates the potential to contaminate fuel systems with water. I see nothing good about it as a fuel unless you live in a grain-producing state or work for an ethanol manufacturer, in which case you're being subsidized by the government at the expense of the rest of the country ... and not just at the expense of other drivers, because everyone pays in terms of higher grain prices.