e85 Ethanol Alternative Fuels

Benefits of ethanol E85 fuels

April 25, 2006April 25, 2006 e85 consumer Leave a comment

This information can be utilized to understand the benefits of E85 ethanol fuel to see why ethanol fuel has great potential for large scale applications.

E85 is easy to use and handle – E85 fueling equipment is slightly different and of similar cost to equipment used to store and dispense petroleum fuels. In some cases, it may be possible to convert your existing petroleum equipment to handle E85.
Ethanol supports our America’s farmers – With the nation’s farmers begining to sell their land to home developers, their land will once again become valuable for growing the corn necessary for ethanol prodcution and will preserve America’s Heart Land.
Using E85 reduces petroleum consumption – Use of E85 will reduce a fleet’s overall use of petroleum and replace it with a renewable-based fuel produced ("grown") in the United States.
E85 is good for the environment
– Beyond operational ease, E85 offers considerable environmental benefits. To learn more about fuel economy, greenhouse gas scores, and air pollution scores for individual vehicles, go to the U.S. Department of Energy/U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s on-line Fuel Economy Guide. You can search for E85-fueled vehicles
by selecting "flexible-fueled vehicles" in the "Select Vehicle Type" pull-down menu. Once you are there, select individual vehicles to get fuel economy, greenhouse gas, and air pollution details.

Reduced ozone-forming and overall toxic tailpipe emissions
Reduced fuel lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions (carbon dioxide)
It is primarily composed of ethyl alcohol (ethanol), derived from renewable resources
Ethanol is biodegradable and much less of a spill threat to surface and ground water than petroleum-based fuel spills.

Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) are available and affordable
– FFVs specifically designed to run on E85 are becoming more common each model year, and FFVs are typically available as standard equipment with little or no incremental cost. See the current model year FFVs.

FFVs have flexible fueling options
– FFVs may operate on gasoline, and, in fact, most of the 4 million FFVs on US roadways do today. Although that is not a positive from an E85-use standpoint, it does underscore the flexibility FFVs offer fleets. When E85 is not available, or an FFV travels outside the fueling network, a driver may simply fuel with either fuel as the situation dictates.

Alternative fuels. A state by state list.

April 24, 2006April 24, 2006 e85 consumer Leave a comment

Below you will find a listing of Alternative Fuel Station counts by state and fuel type, CNG – Compressed Natural Gas, E85 – 85% Ethanol, LPG – Propane, ELEC – Electric, BD – Biodiesel, HY – Hydrogen and LNG – Liquefied Natural Gas.

Ethanol has been bolded for every state.
As of 4/23/2006

STATE	CNG	E85	LPG	ELEC	BD	HY	LNG	Totals by State
Alabama	1	0	74	0	0	0	0	75
Alaska	0	0	12	0	0	0	0	12
Arizona	30	5	74	18	4	1	4	136
Arkansas	4	0	57	0	0	0	0	61
California	179	3	257	406	18	9	30	902
Colorado	21	11	72	4	22	0	0	130
Connecticut	11	0	19	4	1	0	0	35
Delaware	1	0	3	0	3	0	0	7
DC	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	2
Florida	22	2	70	7	4	0	0	105
Georgia	16	6	51	0	17	0	0	90
Hawaii	0	0	6	11	3	0	0	20
Idaho	8	1	28	0	2	0	1	40
Illinois	11	96	73	0	9	0	0	189
Indiana	11	18	42	0	10	0	0	81
Iowa	0	41	29	0	8	0	0	78
Kansas	3	8	49	0	4	0	0	64
Kentucky	0	5	36	0	6	0	0	47
Louisiana	8	0	14	0	0	0	0	22
Maine	1	0	6	0	2	0	0	9
Maryland	13	4	19	0	3	0	0	39
Massachusetts	9	0	28	28	1	0	0	66
Michigan	15	6	88	0	13	2	0	124
Minnesota	3	203	34	0	2	0	0	242
Mississippi	0	0	40	0	6	0	0	46
Missouri	6	25	88	0	2	0	0	121
Montana	2	5	31	0	6	0	0	44
Nebraska	1	27	23	0	1	0	0	52
Nevada	16	1	25	0	10	1	0	53
New Hampshire	3	0	14	10	10	0	0	37
New Jersey	15	0	11	0	1	0	0	27
New Mexico	8	3	60	0	2	0	0	73
New York	37	6	28	0	4	0	0	75
North Carolina	11	9	67	0	36	0	0	123
North Dakota	4	22	16	0	0	0	0	42
Ohio	12	7	75	0	14	0	0	108
Oklahoma	53	4	72	1	5	0	0	135
Oregon	14	1	34	4	14	0	0	67
Pennsylvania	31	1	63	0	11	0	0	106
Rhode Island	6	0	4	2	0	0	0	12
South Carolina	5	31	34	2	24	0	0	96
South Dakota	0	33	22	0	0	0	0	55
Tennessee	6	5	59	0	9	0	0	79
Texas	29	4	628	2	10	0	2	675
Utah	63	3	27	0	3	0	0	96
Vermont	1	0	6	1	5	0	0	13
Virginia	12	2	25	0	10	0	0	49
Washington	14	2	60	0	18	0	0	94
West Virginia	2	2	8	0	0	0	0	12
Wisconsin	18	13	56	0	2	0	0	89
Wyoming	11	4	33	0	13	0	0	61
Totals by Fuel:	748	619	2750	500	348	14	37	5016

e85 ethanol Safety Concerns

April 22, 2006April 22, 2006 e85 consumer Leave a comment

As in the dispensing of petroleum-based fuels such as traditional gasoline or diesel, E85 should be handled with the highest level of safety in mind. Although E85 use may be lower in some pollutants, E85 fuel is poisonous and flammable. E85 should never be confused with beverage alcohol. Cigarettes and other open ignition sources should never be allowed in fueling areas.

In general, the same safety measures that apply to gasoline apply to E85. All employees and the vehicle drivers using an E85 fueling system should:

Know basic safety practices
Understand the purpose and content of your fuel site’s emergency action plan
Be familiar with signage and emergency equipment at that site including the emergency shut down button
Understand what emergency actions need to be taken in an accident.

At a minimum, your emergency action plan should include:

Identification of what incidents may trigger the action plan
Actions to take for specific events
Notification procedures
Evacuation procedures
Safety systems
Emergency event action items

Emergency telephone numbers should be posted at the fueling site, near all office telephones, and in adjoining facilities. These contacts should include, but may not be limited to:

#911 (emergency reminder)
Fire department
Emergency medical
Police
Maintenance contacts and equipment vendors
Contacts for the adjoining buildings and businesses

E85 has been determined to be a flammable liquid per the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard, and should be handled accordingly.

The safety standards for handling E85 are the same as those for gasoline. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) codes 30 and 30-A pertain to refueling stations and the handling of motor fuels and other combustible liquids.

In the event of a fire at your fueling site:

Never attempt to disconnect the dispenser nozzle from the vehicle
Evacuate immediate area of the fire
Trigger the emergency shut down button; which should be located nearby.
Contact emergency personnel

For E85 fires, carbon dioxide, halon or dry chemical extinguishers marked B, C, BC, or ABC should be used.

For larger fires, water spray, fog or foam (AFFT/ATC) can be used. Only those who are adequately trained and equipped with proper protective equipment should attempt fire fighting.

Remember that fuel vapors can travel along the ground or be moved by ventilation and ignited by sources such as pilot lights, sparks, electric motors, static discharge, or other ignition sources at locations distant from material handling. For additional fire related information, see Codes & Standards.