Ethanol is one of the fuels of the future. It is currently being mixed into gasoline and served up at the average gas station, with a ratio of 10% ethanol to 90% gasoline. A standard car can operate fine with this small proportion of ethanol, but it takes some special adjustments to handle E85 - a mixture of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. These new vehicles are called Flex Fuel vehicles.

These vehicles are simply modified models of existing cars. Two significant changes need to be made before a car can be deemed E85 compatible and thus a Flex Fuel vehicle.

First, the corrosiveness of alcohol must be dealt with. Traditional car components would deteriorate from constantly storing and transporting alcohol. Newer cars have been updated to have stainless steel insides, including fuel tanks and fuel injectors. The stainless steel will not corrode from constant contact with alcohol, making it safe to use E85.

Second, the fuel injection system needs to be updated. In order to get the best performance out of the fuel, special compression and timing ratios need to be used. To accomplish this, the dealer simply installs a new computer chip with the updated fuel injection information. A sensor is also installed in the car to detect the presence of alcohol in the fuel. If regular gasoline is used, the car will revert to its old program.

The number of models that meet these two standards and are thus deemed Flex Fuel vehicles is growing each year. The National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition has compiled a list of currently available models (http://www.e85fuel.com/e85101 /flexfuelvehicles.php).

The major benefit of a Flex Fuel car is that it is good for the environment. Ethanol burns cleaner than regular gasoline, releasing less pollutants as a byproduct of combustion. The use of ethanol also promote the growth of grain products. The end effect is to remove carbon from the atmosphere, where it warms the earth, and place it in the ground as plant matter.

However, there is a trade off. Ethanol does not contain as much energy as gasoline, so your gas tank will only take you 70% of the distance it used to. Although ethanol is often cheaper than gasoline, the price of ethanol must be 70% that of gasoline in order to be equivalent. E85 fueling stations are also relatively rare in some parts of the country, so you may be stuck putting regular unleaded in your new Flex Fuel vehicle.

Unlike other possible environmentally safe cars, flex fuel vehicles are real. They are being massed produced, and they are wildly popular in some foreign countries, like Brazil. Be part of a growing movement now, and make your next vehicle a flex-fuel.

Learn more about this author, B. Rock.
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