Alternative Fueled Vehicles
I received a new 2007 Mercedes-Benz C230 sedan today to put into the loaner car fleet. Among the paperwork that comes with new vehicles was a sheet that state that this was a “Alternative Fueled Vehicle” and further described how the car could run on a type of fuel known as “E85” (a type of fuel that consists of 85% Ethanol). I thought this was pretty cool. I keep hearing about how these “flex fuels” are so much cheaper at the pump and how it could save Americans billions of dollars over the next several years.Then I took a look a the numbers that were listed on the same sheet and I was a little confused. The sheet shows the “Manufacturer’s Estimated Cruising Range” on one tank of fuel. The mileage range when using “alternative fuel” is 230-295. The range on one tank exclusively on gasoline is 312-410. Well, I’m no math geek but it stands to reason that the fuel may be cheaper per gallon, but if it doesn’t go as far is it really a good deal?
I dusted off the calculator and did some simple math. I made some basic assumptions so that everything was equal. I assumed a tank size of 13 gallons. There are 2 places to get E85 gasoline in my area and I used the cheapest number of $2.50 per gallon. The average cost of regular unleaded gasoline around here is $3.00 per gallon. It looks like this:
13 gallons x $3.00 = $39.00 (cost of one tank of regular unleaded)
13 gallons x $2.50 = $32.50 (cost of one tank of E85 fuel)
From this you can see that it is indeed cheaper to fill your tank with E85.
Using the highest average mileage for each fuel type, you can figure the MPG:
410 miles / 13 gallons = 31.54 MPG (gasoline)
295 miles / 13 gallons = 22.69 MPG (E85)
This was no surprise as the label already shows this.
Figuring the average cost per mile of fuel:
$39.00 / 410 miles = $0.10 per mile (gasoline)
$32.50 / 295 miles = $0.11 per mile (E85)
This is the part that was a bit surprising. Contrary to what the people pushing this new fuel type are saying, the reality is that it may actually be more expensive to use alternative fuels. If you are interested in actual costs, don’t be duped by the prices at the pump. Do the math for yourself.
posted by Bonzai @ 11:00 AM
2 Comments:
So I wonder what the fuel economy is for a vehicle the runs on ethanol alone, not in a mix with gasoline? I have heard that there are conversion kits for under $500 that will allow this.
Vinman
There are several types of conversion kits that you can get for vehicles. I'm told the reason that most of them offer multiple option fuels is because there are so few filling stations that offer the alternative fuels. For instance, to my knowledge, there are no sites in my area that offer pure ethanol.
Based on data from a gentleman I spoke to recently, ethanol does not store the equivelent energy as gasoline and therefore will not get the same mileage per gallon. He went on to state that there are two clear camps on alternative fuels: those who want any alternative to petroleum and those who want the best performance for the dollar. At this point, the only alternative fuel that offers both is hydrogen - and hydrogen is a ways off yet on the horizon.
BTW- If you are curious about fuel economy for pure ethanol, check the local dragstrip. Many of those cars are geared for ethanol. They may have some data for you.
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