The Ethanol Papers - Paperturn manuscript - Flipbook - Page 244
A gasoline-powered internal combustion engine is optimized to run on gasoline.
A diesel-powered internal combustion engine is optimized to run on diesel.
Diesel's BTU rating is higher than Gasoline, yet if you attempted to use diesel
in a gasoline-optimized ICE it won't run. Conversely, if you attempted to use
gasoline in a diesel optimized ICE you don't get reduced performance, you get
NO performance.
If we were discussing a steam engine and we had to calculate which fuel to use
to heat the water to create the steam then BTUs are important. Internal combustion engines do not work on steam.
Pouring fuel into an engine actually does change the characteristics of the fuel,
it transforms from a liquid state, but I understand your point on this and agree.
However, an engine's characteristics can be changed to fit the fuel, and this is
precisely what happens.
The fact that ethanol or methanol can be used at all in a gasoline-powered engine is incredible. It's normally perfectly correct to assume that anything used
in a device that is not optimized for that thing will get reduced or no results, but
it has nothing to do with the Laws of Physics or with one substance being inferior to another. It's OPTIMIZATION. Any conversation about the difference in
BTU is a waste of time.
A Beatles song on CD, DVD, digital, 8-track cartridge, or vinyl will be the same.
The song is the same; the lyrics are the same; the music is the same. But just
because the song and its components are the same doesn't mean you can expect to use a CD in an 8-track player.
Going back to fuels, there are two facts that remain: First, an internal combustion engine optimized to run on ethanol will outperform an internal combustion
engine optimized to run on gasoline. The ethanol engine will provide greater
MPG and more horse-power. This is a fact, and you can look it up.
Second, if you use E85 in a gasoline-optimized engine and lose 10% MPG, but
the E85 costs 15% less than the E10 or E0 gasoline, then you have a net gain.
This is a fact, ask a math teacher to explain it to you.
By the way, the information that I present is nothing new, it has been known
since the advent of the internal combustion engine, but the oil industry has done
a very good job on confusing people like you. As I've mentioned previously,
