Ethanol Petrofuel mix - a user writes ....

Jay at the American Sentinel writes - If Corn Ethanol Is The Answer, What Is The Question?

He has kept careful records of the 10% ethanol mix fuel he uses. He claims his year long records show that for his sedan (make, model age not given), the mileage is down from 31 mpg to 30 mpg, about 3 %.

The recognised btu output-to-input ratio of corn ethanol is about 1.3 to 1, meaning that 7.7 gallons of petroleum fuel provides the same energy as 10 gallons of ethanol. (Remember he is using the US gallon = 3.79 litres - Imperial gallon = 4.55 litres)

The 90-10 brew he buys is therefore equivalent to 97.7 gallons of petrofuel.

If I simply used the 97.7 gallons of petrofuel, my sedan would run for 97.7 x 31 = 3028.7 miles. The 90-10 brew yields 30 x 100 = 3000 miles. That’s less.

He identifies driving as goal-oriented. Teenagers may drive around until the tank is empty, but most adults drive for specific purposes - - to get to work, to go to the store, and so on. The number of miles the average driver rolls each year is fairly predictable.

For example at 1,200 miles per month, that's 14,400 miles per year.

To go 14,400 miles at 30 mpg requires 480 gallons of 90-10 gas-ethanol brew or 468 gallons of petrofuel. To go the same 14,400 miles at 31 mpg on 100% petrofuel requires slightly more than 464 gallons.

He saves 4 gallons of petrofuel a year - he doesn't even mention the higher cost of the ethanol mix.

See - Thursday, October 04, 2007 US Ethanol glut, shuttered plants, shattered dreams
Tuesday, November 18, 2008 Pacific Ethanol adds to third-quarter loss