Flex Fuel, E85, Ethanol - Worth it??

[NW Admin]

I have to say that I am a bit let down by the hype of the Flex Fuel Vehicles (FFV) that run on E85 (a mixture of Ethanol and Unleaded fuel). I purchased a 2003 Ford Explorer FFV last August. I truly believe that was a mistake on my part. I knew that there was somewhat of a performance decrease with E85, but figured... hey... at least it's helping the environment. Right??

Well, maybe I wouldn't feel so bad if it were a vehicle that got better gas mileage, but with unleaded it gets 15mpg and with E85 it only gets 10mpg! I am wishing now that held out until I could afford a hybrid or some other new form of vehicle. The gas in this thing is killing me!

I also feel like E85 is quickly going to be a thing of the past. Something that never really caught on and something that was short lived. My feeling is that electric and possibly hydrogen vehicles are going to quickly make E85 forgettable.

Now with the economy and fuel prices the way they are, no one wants to buy a gas guzzeling SUV... even if it is a FFV. So I am stuck with it unless I want to take a huge loss by trading it in at a dealership. Ugh. I can't win!

[stacy619]

I would have to agree with you that E85 will soon be a thing of the past. I say this because here in Greeley, our E85 is 3.19 a gallon...not that much better than regular unleaded, and with the gas milage issue, it pretty much evens out.

I aslo believe that Hydrogen Vehicles will be what saves us. I was watching TV and saw a commercial for the Honda FCX Clarity, the Hydrogen fuel cell vehicle!! It is not only very nice, but looks very aerodynamic also. You can check out this car at Honda FCX Clarity - Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle - Official Web Site. The best part? I hear it is supposed to be VERY affordable when it is available to the general public.

For now, I do believe Hybrids are the way to go. I have a friend who purchased a used 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid and she loves it...
Me? I drive the most fuel efficent vehicle I can afford, and that is a 1996 Jetta. As long as we keep it maintained, it will get us about 30 MPG city and more on the Highway...

[KrittinKitty]

I would also have to agree about the E85. I mean, I am all for making things more green. But to be honest, when I used to work at a gasstation.. I would hear people complain all the time that our gas was more expensive then speedways or Bp's (i worked at a shell). It was but that is because it lasted much longer in cars then those other competitors. I am not 100% sure anymore, but all the additives in gas... Ethonal, Menthonal, and Alcohol do reduce the amount of "smog" but also are not so great in the long run for mileage.

I personally think the new hybrids, and soon hydrogen cell cars will be the best advancement for automobiles in a long time.

[Chelsea222]

I was just wondering...

E85 is supposed to reduce greenhouse gas by using more ethanol then unleaded. BUT... if you have to use more E85 then you would unleaded and fill up more often, wouldn't you still be getting close to using the same amount of unleaded since there is still 15% in there?

[avorrgorrus]

I would like to see more hydrogen cars, does anyone in here know about hydrogen systems? Well, there are many people who are going for it in their garage, making a hybrid combination of gas and hydrogen. Saves a few miles per gallon, pretty nifty idea.