Most Modern U.S. Cars Are Capable of Using E85 Right Now

Ohio BioSystems Cooperative Research Shows Modern Engine Components Are E85 Compatible

By Marc J. Rauch
Exec. Vice President/Co-Publisher

AUTO CENTRAL - May 8, 2016: Recently oil and gasoline prices have not been threateningly high, and surprisingly there have been no attempts by the oil industry to exploit the polar vortex conditions by pretending that there are drastic shortages of home heating oil. However. the need for domestically produced fuels and a national energy policy that benefits all Americans is as critical as ever. The need is fueled (pun intended) by the urgency to improve our economy.

Fossil fuel exploration and development is not the solution to our economic problem, and will never be the solution, as long as the fossil fuel industry is controlled by foreign players. The thing we never hear from the oil industry is a guarantee that increased domestic supplies of oil/gasoline will be exclusively sold in America and that the increased supply will be used to drive down the retail price of the fuels. All we hear is that the fuel can be used to make America a bigger exporter of oil. Outside of a few thousand people, being a bigger exporter of oil is not beneficial to our country.

We need to put millions - not thousands - of people to work on a permanent, full time basis. The solution is a fuel like ethanol (methanol will also work). But two things stand in the way of the United States making heavy use of ethanol. The first is the oil industry's very deep pockets to create and disseminate lies about alternative fuels. The second is the presumed inability of Mr. and Ms. America to be able to use ethanol immediately without any extensive or costly engine conversions.

The Auto Channel has not been shy about trying to do our part in dispelling the myths and lies about ethanol, and we haven't been shy in sharing with you our successful experience in using E85 in non-flex fuel vehicles. However, one of the great myths out there is that it would be too expensive for automobile manufacturers to build every new vehicle so that they can accommodate higher blended ethanol-gasoline fuels, such as E85.

We, at The Auto Channel, know from anecdotal experience that modern passenger gasoline-powered vehicles can handle E85. Now, thanks to the research conducted by Glenn Chipner and his organization, Ohio BioSystems Cooperative, there is tangible proof that modern cars built by the "Detroit 3" automakers can safely use E85.

The proof offered by Ohio BioSystems is that they compared the parts used in flex fuel and non-flex fuel GM, Ford and Chrysler vehicles. The results are that the parts are either all the same or nearly all the same with some very minor differences. In some cases these differences are nothing more than a re-numbering of the parts simply as an accounting mechanism in order to keep track of which vehicles the parts are being used in. To this point, the report states:

"No manufacturer that employs Lean Manufacturing, often referred today as Six-Sigma, in their right-mind would run two different part lines for the same part across multiple vehicles. Doing so would be fiscally irresponsible and likely lead to the demise of that company - especially in a global market. All three Detroit car manufacturers employ this or a version of it in their manufacturing processes. And so do the foreign manufacturers, it's just good business. Therefore, the likelihood is that ALL EFI vehicles, even the early ones that tout only 10% ethanol compatibility are 100% E85 compatible."

The bottom line is that it doesn't cost the manufacturers any more for the parts required for a flex fuel engine than it does for a non-flex fuel engine, which means that Americans can take control of our economic and energy future right now in the present day.

The report from Ohio BioSystems is part of a response that they made to the Environmental Protection Agency pursuant to the EPA's Request For Comments on 2014 Standards for the Renewable Fuel Standard Program.

More information about Ohio BioSystems Cooperative and the results of their engine parts research can be found at http://www.ohiobiosystems.org.

The Auto Channel features many stories, editorials and videos that tell the truth about ethanol. You can simply insert the word "ethanol" into our search engine at the top right of this page or start with the comprehensive 58-page report I wrote, TRUTH ABOUT ETHANOL.