So, what is flex-fuel? Flexible fuel vehicles, or flex-fuel vehicles, are capable of functioning using fuel made from a combination of conventional gasoline mixed with ethanol or methanol. As the world searches for more renewable sources of energy, flex-fuel vehicles were intended as a solution to oil dependence and climate change. However, they have been overshadowed by hybrids and electric vehicles.
Flexible fuel is an alternative fuel made from a combination of gasoline and methanol or ethanol. A vehicle typically needs to have a few modifications done to its internal combustion engine and fuel system to be able to run on flex fuel.
Ethanol is a clear grain alcohol that is non-consumable and derived from plants. Ethanol is typically extracted from corn in the United States, although it can also be made from other starchy and sweet plants such as sugarcane, barley, or sorghum. Ethanol is a component of almost all mainstream consumer gasoline and is used to enhance octane ratings with less cost.
Methanol is very similar to ethanol, but it only has half the energy content of gasoline compared to ethanol, which has two-thirds. However, unlike ethanol, methanol is not made from plants. Instead, it’s made by transforming natural gas with steam.
Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of switching to a flex-fuel vehicle:
Ethanol burns cleaner than gasoline. As a result, flex-fuel vehicles emit fewer greenhouse gases than traditional, gasoline engine-equipped vehicles, making them the more environmentally friendly option. A common flex-fuel gasoline blend contains anywhere between 51% to 83% ethanol. Compared to regular gasoline, the average tailpipe emissions of E85 gasoline contain 23% less nitrogen oxide and 30% less carbon monoxide.
A flex-fuel vehicle has the ability to burn different proportions of ethanol and gasoline. This is a significant feature because conventional engines can only burn fuels that have a small amount of ethanol.
These vehicles are outfitted with electronic sensors that measure the fuel’s blend. The engine’s computers can then control the fuel injection and timing based on that measurement.
Since ethanol is produced from crops such as corn and sugarcane, it can be sustainably produced. Given that there is a rising global demand for oil, alternative sources of fuel help conserve this non-renewable resource.
Customers who drive flex-fuel vehicles are eligible for tax credits that can greatly reduce or even eliminate their tax obligations. Tax credit amounts vary depending on the vehicle’s gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR).
Even though ethanol has less energy density, flex-fuel vehicles can still achieve the same level of performance as their gasoline-powered counterparts. However, this comes at the cost of being less-fuel efficient.
Flex-fuel has a few downsides, as with any new technology. These include:
Since flex-fuel vehicles use up more fuel, they’ll get less mileage on a full tank of fuel. However, ethanol is less expensive than regular gasoline, which should help offset the worse fuel mileage.
Despite the sustainability of ethanol, its production comes with potential consequences. Crops intended for flex-fuel generation cannot be used for other uses. This has the potential to raise the price of other crop-dependent products like animal feed. Just like any resource, corn can also run into shortages brought by disease, drought, and flooding. As a result, corn is also susceptible to price increases, which can affect the price of fuel.
Gasoline stations are less likely to have E85 fuel because not many people have flex-fuel vehicles. Flexible fuel is only available at a small percentage of gas stations nationwide, but this can change if more consumers begin using flex-fuel vehicles. Luckily, modern flex-fuel vehicles can run on any combination of gasoline and ethanol. This means they don’t need fuel with high ethanol content all the time because flex-fuel vehicles have sensors that detect the fuel’s blend and make the required adjustments.
Unfortunately, flex-fuel can potentially damage your engine. Ethanol tends to absorb dirt easily, and dirty fuel can wreak all kinds of havoc on your fuel system. Water, dirt, and other debris can lead to corrosion and damage your engine, leading to expensive repairs.
One way to avoid this mishap is to perform regular fuel tank checks to ensure your fuel is free from any impurities. This also allows you to find signs of contamination before it starts damaging your engine.
Not all vehicles can safely run on fuel with higher ethanol content. Vehicles made before the year 2008 automatically can’t run flex-fuel because they weren’t designed to run fuel with high ethanol content. Running E85 fuel on older model engines without properly tuning its components can damage engine and fuel system parts.
In an emergency, you can put standard gasoline in your flex-fuel car. However, this only applies to gasoline blended with ethanol and methanol. Using diesel or regular leaded gasoline to refill your flex-fuel engine’s tank can damage your vehicle, leading to costly repairs.
While a gallon of E85 fuel is usually cheaper than a gallon of gasoline, it actually costs more per mile. Ethanol contains less energy per volume, which means you get around 15% to 27% fewer miles per gallon than gasoline-powered vehicles.
However, keep in mind that your car’s actual mileage can still vary depending on its condition and your own driving habits.
You’ll find plenty of older vehicles with engines that can take flex-fuel. All you have to do is look for a yellow filler cap or a “flex-fuel” badge on the car body. Today, however, modern flex-fuel vehicles are mostly comprised of full-size pickup trucks and cargo vans by Ford and General Motors.
Now that you know the answer to the question “What is flex-fuel?”, you’ll hopefully appreciate how fuel technology has improved over time. You might even realize that you own a flex-fuel vehicle–and now you can get more out of it than before.
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