The end of an EAR-a...(farewell, for now!)

With this post comes the end of an EAR-a (a little play on words...since I've been talking about corn a lot, I thought it appropriate). I really hope that I've created some intelligent discussion about ethanol and E85. I also hope that I have not seemed like I am against ethanol. I have said it once and I will say it again: I think ethanol is a great beginning. It shows that we, as a people are putting forth effort and are not just willing (well, at least not ALL of us) to sit around and deplete our petroleum reserves. If one thing should be clear, it is this: it may not be in our lifetime, or our children's lifetime, but someday alternative fuels are going to be the way of life. Traditional petroleum, as it is used now, is probably not going to last forever. You could start asking yourself "well, what is 'forever'" but that's missing the point. Alternative fuels are a promising technology, and one that could reap siginificant benefits in the future.

I have enjoyed blogging about this topic a lot. I hope that I will be able to find the time after I graduate in January to keep blogging about this topic.

As a parting gift of sorts, I will leave you with a wonderful resource concerning the automotive "green scene" (yes, even us "gearheads" are not against being green). AutoBlogGreen's category on ethanol contains the latest news concerning ethanol and the automotive world.

One last thing to think about (and remember!):

Alternative fuels are not going to save the world. They are not going to be the thing that weans the U.S. off of its foreign petroleum consumption. They are, however, the gateway to something that will help our planet, and the people that live on it.

Thank you very much for reading. This "EAR-a" has come to an end...

...for now.

E10...No, it's not a type-o

You may have noticed a change in the gas that you are putting into your car when you stop to fill it up; then again, maybe you haven't. Governments all over the world, from Austrailia to India and yes, even here in the U.S., are mandating the use of E10 instead of traditional gasoline. E10, like E85, is a blend of gasoline and ethanol. This time, however, the blend consists of 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline (in lieu of E85's 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline). While this switch has not been highly publicized, it is certainly not insignificant.

A recent study completed by the American Coalition for Ethanol found that the 4 vehicles they used in the study actually got better gas mileage when running on E10. It should be emphasized (in case they didn't do it enough, I am right now) that this study is preliminary, and it only used 4 vehicles. It is true that this evidence to prove the claim that E10 improves gas mileage is a lot more concrete than anything that has been presented in the past; even so, more research needs to be conducted before this claim can be taken as truth.

Something to think about:

Do you think that mild fuel blends, such as E10, are more of a viable alternative to gasoline than E85 is?