Ethanol: What's the Fuss? Fuel For Thought

ETHANOL: WHAT'S THE FUSS? FUEL FOR THOUGHT

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Everything you need to know about ethanol and your bike

Kevin Cameron

PEOPLE ARE up in arms over recent EPA waivers that allow but do not require up to 15 percent ethanol to be blended into gasoline. The 15 percent blend, called E15, would be available only from blender pumps clearly labeled “Passenger vehicles only. Use in other vehicles, engines and equipment may violate Federal law.” Here is the EPA’s list of vehicles that should not be fueled with E15:

• Motorcycles

• Vehicles with heavy-duty engines, such as school buses and delivery trucks • Off-road vehicles, such as boats and snowmobiles

• Engines in off-road equipment, such as lawnmowers and chainsaws

• Model-year 2000 and older cars, light-duty trucks and medium-duty passenger vehicles (later changed to model-year 2007 and older)

Why do E10 and now E15 alcohol-gasoline blends exist?

The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 requires that renewable fuels be blended into transportation fuels and also mandates that the EPA ensures that these renewable fuels, from production to use, actually emit less greenhouse gas than the petroleumbased fuel they replace.

Two motivations behind EISA are:

1) to cut U.S. dependence on foreign oil;

2) to reduce production of greenhouse gas from vehicles.