It ’s no arcanum the United States is trying to cut its consumption of fossil fuel . A full half of them come from extraneous area , create an undesirable dependency . Plus , they cause pollution . Lots of it . That ’s why American car maker and fuel companies are continually go on developing alternate fuels and vehicle that can hightail it on them . The most popular substitute fuel today isE85 , a admixture of 15 percent leadless gasoline and up to 85 percent fermentation alcohol . Vehiclesthat can be powered by this mix are promise pliable fuel vehicles , flex - fuel or FFVs [ sources : Goodspeed , FlexFuel US ] .
Flex - fuel vehicles have been produced since the 1980s , and fare in dozens of models . According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration , there are more than 8 million FFVs vagabond down America ’s street and main road today . But astonishingly , many railcar owners do n’t even realise they ’re drive an FFV . The easy manner to evidence is to reckon at your gas cap ; most auto manufacturers began put yellow caps on their flex - fuel vehicles begin with 2008 exemplar . you’re able to also go over for potential fuel doorway recording label and badges on the body of your railway car , or hold back your possessor ’s manual [ origin : Alternative Fuels Data Center , Fuel Economy ] .
While FFVs are increasingly pop , they ’re not a miracle solution . The good newsworthiness is they enable you , and your country , to consume fewer fossil fuels , as plant - found ethanol is a renewable energy source . It also burns much more cleanly , which is smashing for the earth and our health . But flex - fuels get fewer miles to the congius than gasoline - power vehicle , they can be pricier , and there presently are n’t many natural gas stations selling E85 [ source : Wiesenfelder ] .
The Mechanics Behind Flex-Fuel Vehicles
A flex - fuel automobile seem just like any other sort of car – which is why some the great unwashed do n’t even realize they own one . The main conflict between the two lie with theengineand fuel system . Before discussing them , let ’s take a ready feel at what fuels a flex - fuel vehicle .
Flex - fuels can run on veritable accelerator , various ethanol blend and other types of fuel [ source : Bionomic Fuels ] . fermentation alcohol is produced by ferment plant bread ; in the United States , ethanol ’s plant dinero mainly get from Zea mays , although wampum cane and other starchy agricultural products can also be used [ origin : Environmental Protection Agency ] . The main grain alcohol blends on the market place today are E85 and E95 , which get their name from their composition : E85 is 15 percent leadless gas and up to 85 pct fermentation alcohol , whileE95 - - typically used in diesel - powered vehicles – is up to 95 percentage ethanol [ sources : Bionomic Fuels , Clean Air Trust ]
factor that make up the fueling arrangement of flex - fuel vehicles are also crafted to be ethyl alcohol - compatible . If they were n’t , ethyl alcohol ’s higher water supply content could get rusting to form and damage the fuel arrangement from the interior out [ source : Change2E85 ] .
Despite these different components , care costs for FFVs are generally the same as for other vehicles , and sometimes are even lower , since flex - fuel burn fuel more cleanly [ source : FlexFuel US ] .
Whether flex - fuels will become the average in the future tense remains to be seen . But at least alternative fuel and vehicles are being investigated .
I do n’t own a flex - fuel fomite . But I do live near Iowa , a Corn Belt state and the source of much of America ’s ethyl alcohol . There are plenty of gas post in the area sell ethanol . Make indisputable you do n’t put grain alcohol in a non - flex - fuel car . If you do so accidentally , empty your tank and refill it with steady gas and you ’ll be all right .
