Pure ethanol or E100 is also known as ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol. It is made when corn, grain, or other agricultural products are fermented, distilled, and denatured and because of this, it is a continually renewable resource, a true benefit in the world of alternative fuels. Another benefit is the fact that, unlike many other, mainly petroleum based, fuels, it contributes nothing to the build-up of greenhouse gases. Because of its renewable nature, it is possible to extensively reduce a nation’s dependence on foreign oil products.

Pure ethanol is never used as an alternative fuel, but ethanol blends are. For example, E10 is a fuel made of 10 percent ethanol and blended with 90 percent gasoline. The most common blend is E85, a fuel made of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. E85 is officially classified by the U.S. Department of Energy as an alternative energy fuel. It could be used in most cars today that are run on gasoline with some modification, and new, flexible fuel vehicles, are being developed that could use E85. Recently, lobbyists have been pushing for its use in FFVs or flexible fuel vehicles, alternative vehicles that have a lesser impact on the environment than today’s gas guzzling cars.

E85 Properties

Why is E85 gaining in popularity to the point that lines of vehicles are being developed that will run on it alone? Compare it to the properties of gasoline, and see for yourself:

• It is a renewable resource
• Reduces dependence on foreign oil
• Reduces smog and emissions
• 96 octane to 86-94 octane in gasoline
• 12,500 lower heating value to 18,000-19,000 lower heating value of gasoline
• 1.4 gallons of E85 is equal to 1 gallon gasoline
• Per gallon, E85 gets 72% of the miles that gasoline gets
• Holding tank is 1.4 times larger than a gasoline holding tank
• In cold weather, E85 starts the car as well as gasoline
• Vehicle power is increased 3-5% with E85

Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFV)

A flexible fuel vehicle is a car that runs on any ethanol blend, E85 or less, and can also run on regular unleaded gas. They have been in production for almost a decade and continue to be built by some major car manufacturers including Ford, GM, Mercury, Isuzu, and more. Over 2 million of today’s vehicles are flexible fuel vehicles, which can run on ethanol, gasoline, or a mixture of the two. You may own one of these FFV’s without even being aware of it. Some of the benefits of flexible fuel vehicles include:

• Emissions that create smog are reduced 25 percent
• Cost effectiveness is equal to that of cars run on gasoline
• Similar warranties and original equipment are manufactured as they are for gasoline run vehicles
• Emissions that create greenhouse gases are reduced 35 to 40 percent
• Vehicle horsepower increased up to 5 percent
• Fuel is renewable
• New vehicles can be ordered with a flexible fuel engine option
• More and more E85 pumps are springing up all over the country
• Gasoline can be mixed with any amount of E85 if E85 is not available

Hybrid Vehicles And Ethanol

Most cars, including hybrid cars have no problems with a 10 percent ethanol blend. However, at this time, the combination of E85 and the hybrid car is only slowly making its way from the drawing board to the highway. Some instances have occurred where the two have been combined, but these are primarily in fleet situations and concept cars so far. However, it shouldn’t be too long before you can buy a hybrid car that will run on E85.

Drawbacks of E85

There are a few disadvantages to E85 at this point in the game, though they hardly outweigh the benefits. Some of these include:

• The cost of E85 is formidable due to the cost of the fermentation process but research has already begun to develop a new and cheaper fermentation process that utilizes lower-grade feed stocks.
• Ethanol is quite a bit more corrosive than gasoline, which could lead to engine problems.
• Issues of things like vapor lock, flame visibility, and cold starts have experts concerned.
• The miles per gallon of E85 is less efficient than the miles per gallons of gasoline.
• It’s not easy to find E85 gasoline tanks because distribution is difficult.

One present disadvantage that DOES outweigh the ecological value for the consumer is the scarcity of locations selling E85. This will probably continue to change over time however. For those in the military, there are some military bases where E85 can be found.

Despite the limitations, ethanol based alternative fuels like E85 are an incredible improvement over the use of gasoline. Some car manufacturers are offering to upgrade regular engines to E85 capability for no cost, and the fact that flexible fuel vehicles are not reliant upon E85 but can use gasoline in any combination with the ethanol blend makes it a simple choice. Scientists and researchers are working on ways to fix the remaining issues. This new technology is more than a trend but the direction in which the future is taking drivers.

You can learn more about alternative fuels and flexible fuel vehicles, including what vehicles are flexible fuel vehicles, and where to find E85, at the United States Government’s Alternative Fuel Data Center. You can locate them online at http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/infrastructure/fuel_inf.html

The author is retired from the Army after 21 years of service, has worked as an accountant, optical lab manager, restaurant manager, and instructor. He has been a member of Mensa for several years, and has written and published poetry, essays, and articles on various subjects for the last 40 years. He is keenly interested in the fuels of the future, America’s dependence on foreign oil, the physical limits of stores of petroleum based products, and the futures of his grandchildren. Learn more about hybrid cars, and fuel economy.

Posted by admin as Auto at 8:58 AM CDT

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If you are stopped by the police and issues a speeding ticket it isn’t the end of the world. You have a few choices of how to deal with it: pay it, fight it (on your own or with the help of a lawyer), or ignore it. Of course you should never choose to ignore it. Doing so will lead to much bigger trouble. So having dismissed that option lets look at the others. Now in many cases it may be simple enough to just pay the thing and move on. However it isn’t all that bad an idea to fight the ticket either. Whether you choose to hire a lawyer or fight it yourself, you should be aware of the basic law that you are charged with breaking. You can do that easily by accessing public records. Here is what you do.

First of all, look up the traffic law that you were charged with breaking. Read over it and become familiar with its wording and any relevant laws that may be related to that particular code. You may need to access the public records provisions to get needed documents to help you prepare your defense (or understand what your lawyer is doing). You can usually get this information at a local public library or a Law library.

The idea here is to assume that you will prosecute your own case (even if you aren’t), and write down any laws that you think would help your situation. Do your best to find some of the different case laws that relate to the charges against you and note any references that support your potential defense. That’s sounds hard and confusing I hear you say. Well perhaps a little, but it isn’t all that bad. If we use California as an example of what the prosecution will need to prove against you, it should be more clear what kinds of information you are looking for.

The California Motor vehicle code has a section on unsafe speed. It states: “No person shall drive a vehicle upon a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable or prudent. Having due regard for weather visibility, the traffic on and the surface and width of the highway. And in no event at a speed which endangers safety of a person or property.”

Given that little section of code, you now know what the prosecution must prove against you in order for the case to stand.

1) you have to be identified as the driver and the witness for the prosecution needs to have observed you actually driving the vehicle

2) The prosecution has to establish where the violation occurred

3) What is reasonable or prudent? It’s merely someone’s opinion. They must establish that their opinion of what is reasonable or prudent is the correct opinion. To do this they will probably need to refer to the weather, visibility, road conditions etc.

4) That you actually guilty of endangering a person’s life or someone’s property?

As you can see if you work at breaking down the law into smaller chunks that you can manage you should be able to figure out all the points that the prosecution needs to prove against you. If they can’t prove all these points, you have grounds for dismissal after they rest their case.

Now of course you can (and perhaps should) always seek legal counsel to get better help. However in many cases a traffic violation can be successfully defended on your own. All the best of luck, and drive safe.

If you’d like to learn more about how to deal with speeding tickets yourself we have valuable information that can help you beat speeding ticket fines.

Posted by admin as Auto at 3:30 PM CDT

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