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In light a fragile economy, I’d like to talk about 13 tactics you can employ to save hundreds at the pump, without buying a Prius. We know gasoline prices have risen to economy-shattering levels, so what can you do about it? Fight it — use less, spend less and enjoy life more. More »
Tags: Automotive, gas, money, Tips
Considering that many auto manufacturers sell a lot of vehicles which are E85 (”Flex Fuel”) compatible, why aren’t there any closer E85 Stations here in Northern Virginia?
This weekend, I was going to try an experiment to test different mixtures of E85 to Regular Unleaded 87 octane, to see if there was any MPG or power increase. Well, consider this test busted because I’m not going to drive 50 miles to the closest station that sells E85. (I did this once in Tucson, and I felt more responsiveness from the car, but negligible gains on the MPG…)
What’s so special about E85? It is a type of gasoline which is gasoline mixture of 85% Ethanol, which is 110 Octane. Typical “racing fuel,” E85 surpasses Methanol-based gasolines in terms of the Octane rating and the overall cost. The other side of the issue, is the fossil fuel stuff. Ethanol is grown here in the USA, from Corn. A lot less crude oil is necessary to make E85.
Argh! Why isn’t Shell offering E85? At least in Ashburn, where 90% of the vehicles in that area can run on E85? (For those that don’t know, Shell dominates the gas stations out here.)
Tags: e85, ethanol, gas, northern va, rant, Rants, stations, virginia