The Ethanol Papers - Paperturn manuscript - Flipbook - Page 237
I enjoy what you have written. It's a learning experience for me and I'm enjoying
it. And once you start paying attention, it’s amazing what you start hearing others spew; with nothing but hearsay to back it up with. Big oil has brainwashed
well.
Now I know I'm not supposed to, but I have been using it in my 2011 BMW GS
motorcycle, as well as my wife's 2013 Honda CRV. The CRV did drop MPG
from about 32 to 22. And the check engine light came on after about 50 miles.
But I knew this would probably happen. Of course it went out after going back
to e10. The bike LOVES the stuff. It wants 91 octane anyway. Much cheaper
this way.
Here in Minnesota, E85 is usually $.70 a gallon less than regular. You would
think it would be less since we make so much of it here in State. Still, I paid
$1.65 per gallon just this afternoon when I filled the tank.
Keep up the good fight. I know I will. Thanks for your writings. I'll keep reading.
Reply from MARC:
Scott, thanks for reading the blog and for writing in. Your experience is pretty
standard, and you're right, when you learn that the sky doesn't fall and your
teeth don't fall out simply from using E85 it's a rather amazing feeling.
Using E85 in non-flex fuel vehicles does produce different MPG results, based
upon the vehicle. The onboard computer isn't sure what to do. You may find
that by "splash blending" your own mix to achieve something around E30 or
E40 will work better and give you a positive Cost vs MPG loss result. Splash
blending is when you pump in X amount of E85 and then move to an E10 pump
and fill the rest of the way.
At some point, you may wish to install an Alcohol Fuel Conversion Kit on your
wife's car. The kit will help you to achieve better results and it can be used with
E100. The kit can be purchased from David Blume's company at
http://www.permaculture.com/store/conversion_kits. By the way, David's book
"Alcohol Can Be A Gas" is fantastic. You can read about it, and order it from his
website.
