The E85 movement, which is based on an alternative fuel made up of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, is getting a boost from General Motors' recent decision to add 7 more models to its current lineup. This means that General Motors, which already has nearly 2 million E85 vehicles on the road, will be able to make as many as 400,000 E85 vehicles per year. General Motors' decision is good news for people who want to use different kinds of fuel. Let's look at how GM's E85 fleet is growing and what this could mean for you, a driver who cares about gas mileage.
E85 has been around for more than a decade, but it has only been getting so much attention recently. With gas prices over $3 per gallon, you can see why people are interested in E85 and why General Motors keeps adding to its line to meet the demand for alternative fuel sources.
This is the current lineup.
There are now nine E85 vehicles in GM's fleet. The only vehicles made by GM that can run on E85 right now are the Silverado, Tahoe, Impala, Monte Carlo, Avalanche, Sierra, Suburban, Yukon, and Yukon XL. Most of GM's E85 sales have happened since the year 2000, but the company had been making cars that could run on E85 for many years before that. Tens of thousands of E85 cars are also made by DaimlerChrysler and Ford every year.
Continuing with the theme
For 2007, General Motors plans to add five new models, including the Chevrolet Uplander, which is a crossover van. Other models haven't been named yet, but they will probably be about the same size.
Still in Short Supply/Limited Availability
Even though E85 is still popular, it is hard to find at gas stations and there aren't enough of it on the market. Most of the ethanol that is used now comes from corn, which is a common food and fuel source in the United States. Outside of the Midwest, however, there aren't as many refineries and gas stations, so E85 isn't available everywhere. With the help of GM, new stations and more space are opening up. Even if E85 is not available in a certain area, each car can still run on regular gas.
Fuel Efficiency and Performance
The overall fuel economy is another thing that needs to be taken into account. Even though ethanol gives a nice boost to overall performance, it does have an effect on gas mileage, lowering it by 25–30% on some models. This is not a problem when E85 costs 50 or 60 cents less than gasoline. But because there is a lot of demand for E85, prices are only 5 or 10 cents less in most places. People who choose E85 could end up paying more for gas overall.
A cleaner place to live.
Using E85 has a huge benefit that goes beyond price and fuel economy: it cuts down on harmful pollutants by a lot. When only a small amount of gasoline is used instead of straight gasoline or diesel fuel, greenhouse gas emissions go down by a large amount, which is good for the environment.
A short-term fix or a wave to be surfed?
Lastly, E85 may only be a short-term solution, especially if other types of fuel-efficient cars become popular. Some people still find hybrids to be a good option, biodiesel is becoming more popular, and cars that run on hydrogen are only a few years away. Still, E85 is more than just a trend, but for it to work, the government needs to help. Whether or not the federal government steps in is still up in the air, but if consumer sentiment keeps going up, it may not matter anyway.
