No Ethanol

Yesterday, there was a pretty bad wreck on I-24 just as you get into Smyrna. I heard about it on the radio just as I was leaving work, so I decided to take a different route home. I ended up going down Murfreesboro Road, which was a huge mistake.

Anyway, I finally made it to Waldron Road, which connects with I-24. I was running low on gas, so I decided to make a stop before hitting the interstate. I stopped at a Quik Pak (on the East side of the interstate) since it seemed like the easiest place to get in and out of.

As I pulled up, I saw something interesting. On their big sign next to the road, they had written, “No ethanol in our fuels.” I thought this was interesting as they were obviously using this as a selling point to attract customers. I already had the impression that there was some controversy surrounding the idea of using ethanol as a fuel. Seeing this on the gas station’s sign made me interested enough to do a little research.

There’s a ton of information about Ethanol Fuel on the Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org). To me, the most interesting part of that article is the discussion comparing the fuel efficiency between ethanol and gasoline. It seems that, “Ethanol contains approx. 34% less energy per unit volume than gasoline (assuming that the octane ratings of the fuels are the same).” That means burning 100% ethanol in a car results in getting 34% fewer miles per gallon.

Also, ethanol isn’t better for the environment when considering its health effects. It produces just as many (or more) hydrocarbons as gasoline and burning E85 (85% ethanol fuel) would result in a greater production of ozone. The most attractive aspect of using ethanol is how it’s a renewable energy. That is, we can always plant more corn (the main ingredient) and rely on the sun’s energy to make it grow.

Using ethanol would be more attractive to me if it effected the price of gas. If I saw that a gas station using ethanol was significantly less expensive than the others that offered strictly gasoline, I would consider the ethanol alternative. But that isn’t the case. The gas station I stopped at had the same price ($3.99/gal.) as all the others who used ethanol. So, we’re really getting screwed when we buy gasoline with ethanol. We’re paying just as much at the pump, getting less miles on the road, and pulling right back into the gas station before you know it.

So, even though gas prices are ridiculous, it makes sense to buy 100% gasoline whenever possible and to fill up with as much of it as you can… but don’t lose sight of how absurd the price of gas is; that is the true offender.

Just in case you’re driving through the Smryna/LaVergne area, I’ve included a map to help you find the gas station I came across yesterday:

More Ethanol Information:

• Ethanol fuel
• Switch to ethanol may be harmful to health
• New Ethanol Gasoline Cuts Fuel Efficiency
• The Ethanol Illusion