E85 Cold Weather Test

I filled up today, the first time in a month!! I had 2 people start asking me questions while I was filling. It was very positive. You can tell if your vehicle is Flex Fuel by gas cap, VIN, Internet (e85fuel.com) or the dealer.

The performance of E85 tested in 10 degrees F has been a success here in Colorado. My Great White Tahoe starts and runs fine. E85 cold weather test: Passed.

Let's see, E85 was $2.19 so ~20 gallons was $43. Gas at the same station was $2.90 I believe. So, gas would have cost me $58.

The debate continues in the news including diesel. These studies are mind boggling, which is fine for people who don't want to use E85. If you don't want to use it, then don't - it keeps the demand and the price low. If everyone switched, demand and price would increase. So, keep the price low for me, please. Wired had a good article on cellulosic ethanol in October 2007 issue. Great ideas, very, very exciting. I'm not corn crazy, but it is a step in the right direction. Choice is good.

More Gallons Than Dollars

When was the last time you filled up with more gallons than dollars? Uh, never? I filled up with E85 for only 85 CENTS this morning! YES!! It was a GM promotion. Thank You!! They even had models from Maximum Talent Agency pump it for you, which wasn't bad. Nice touch. I also had them fill 2 extra 5 gallon tanks. I was prepared. They also gave me a yellow gas cap and E85 Flex Fuel Vehicle badge. Some E85 splashed around on the top of my extra tanks. It evaporated by the time I got home and the inside of Great White didn't stink like it would with gasoline. I love the smell of ethanol compared to gasoline.

156 miles on 12 gallons = 13 mpg. 23 gallons for only $20! Gasoline would have cost me about $60.

Dollar per gallon divided by mpg = cents per mile? So, 85 cents divided by 13 mpg = 6.5 cents per mile. So, at $3 per gallon, you would need a car that gets 46 mpg to be the same. And one that can tow 6,000 pounds.

Ethanol is biodegradable, non toxic, water soluble, and there is a surplus. Did you hear about that oil tanker that spilled 58,000 gallons of oil in the San Francisco Bay?

E85 Test and price promotion

This blog was mentioned in the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition NEVC newsletter. So, a main point of this E85 test is to compare mpg between E85 and gas. Well, with gas prices increasing, it would be a bad time to do it, and expensive for me. Plus, there are plenty of Chevy Tahoes on the road, running on gas, so we know what mpg they get.

Are you ready for the great part? As I was reading the newspaper today, Chevy has 2 color ads and at the bottom, Western Convenience (and others) is offering E85 for 85 cents per gallon tomorrow!! WooHoo!! I'm at half a tank, so I will be at the station on 91st and Huron in Thornton, CO tomorrow morning. Thank you Colorado Chevy Dealers!

Normal fill up

I update this blog when I fill up, so I try not to update this too often! No grand opening today, just a normal fill up at 91st and Huron. I usually fill up at Sam's Club, which is just across the highway, so I'm not driving out of my way to get E85.

The news said gas at over $92 a barrel this morning. Or was it $96? Who knows.

I went 228 miles on this tank of E85 so that was 12.5 mpg, it was all city driving. The price was $2.09.

Gale Banks is an expert with high performance. In fact, the man is a legend when it comes to turbochargers. He told Jay Leno the benefits of E85 here: http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/index.shtml?vidID=137216

Grand Opening of Colorado's 40th biofuels station!

I attended the Grand Opening today in Longmont at another Western Convenience station. Country radio station 98.5 KYGO was there broadcasting and handing out free stuff. I got a GM live green, go yellow shirt. Krispy Kremes, free pop, stickers, brochures and pamphlets. Good times. But the best part - $1.99 per gallon! I filled it right to the brim.

18.5 Gallons @ $1.99 = $37.
241 miles on 18 gallons = 13 miles per gallon.

Ok. Still not sure what my Great White Tahoe would get on gasoline.

I do know that's 15 cents per mile.
12.5 miles per gallon at $2.00 = 16 cents per mile.
If I was running on gas, I might get 15 miles per gallon, but would pay $2.70 or 18 cents per mile.

So, gas is more expensive.

Power and Performance

There are a number of bumper stickers that say, "My fuel is home grown - created mostly with crops grown in places like Colorado" or "Corn - Fed powered by E85 ethanol" or I have a little white with blue and yellow magnet that says, "I Drive E85 - the future of clean air." (I'm thinking Sammy Hagar doing a remix as a promotion - I Drive E85!!) I think the magnet would make me drive harder than I do. Just to beat people off the line at stop lights so they don't think ethanol is weak. And to show off a little. But, at least I'm not giving my money to OPEC.

I am sucking E85 down on this tank. I had to pull the boat to get it winterized and I've been really flooring it, just to see what it can do, what it sounds like and how much power it really has. Especially since the days are getting colder and the morning air is dense which packs more power. Plus, I we took it 4 wheeling in the pumpkin patch. Big ruts and I had to see if the 4 wheel drive works, uh, yeah. I haven't had 4 wheel drive since high school.

Wait or fill up?

Another station Grand Opening in Longmont on Oct. 18th. I had less then a 1/2 of a tank, so I didn't think I should push it to wait to fill up. So, I filled up today at 91st and Huron with E85 for $1.99!! 16 gallons @ $32 = 12.5 mpg. I don't think I pulled the boat on this tank, (I will have to check my blog) but that is city driving to and from work.

E85 is 105 octane so I'm not really taking advantage of the power unless I had a higher compression engine, like an engine designed to run solely on E85, such as the indy cars - they run on 100% ethanol because they don't have to worry about cold weather. Oh well, at least I may be cleaning my engine. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuOs1yap8mU

Interesting bit near the end of this video - gas looks like urine, E85 looks like water. Note how the gas burns with soot. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxDYz_IgRK0

Some neat videos on YouTube with the Viper, 1965 Chevelle, and Turbo Integra.