With the success Brazil has had using alcohol from sugar cane, and the lower cost of that fuel, I'm kind of surprised you never hear about any places in the US selling it.

I know in the Rio Grande valley here in Texas, they have quite a few cane fields. And most of that goes right across the border into mexico to be processed into corn syrup.

Well, if they used the cane here for fuel, I'm sure the price would go up, and maybe they'd decide to keep it here in the US.

 

They use mostly corn for alcohol here. My next truck will be ready to run E85. I only know of one local gas station that sells E85 and it costs too much, but should come down soon. It's only 15% gasoline and we can make all the ethanol we ever need. If we had more alcohol production the price would go down. I think that's our best way to keep gas prices down. We won't need to import all that oil if we use 85% less every time we fuel up. Alcohol is a renewable resource so it will never run out, but we will eventually run out of oil if we don't switch. There isn't enough dead dinosaur juice to keep up with demand so I don't see the price ever coming down to what it used to be. It's not like we can sit and wait millions of years for new oil to form, so there has to be a switch to E85 or pure alcohol.

 

E85 is really not that great of an idea. Cost more to produce and doesn't get as good mileage as regular gas. All it has done is drive the price of corn up.

"About a third of the fuel Brazilians use in their vehicles is ethanol, known in Brazil as "alcohol." That compares with 3 percent in the United States. All gasoline sold in Brazil contains at least 26 percent ethanol, but motorists driving flexible-fuel cars have the option of filling up with pure ethanol, or E100, which currently is selling for about half the price of the blend."

Would I be happier to pay more at the grocery store if I was cutting my fuel costs in half? Yes. E85 has not, and will not live up to the hype.

 

Corn should be used for what's really important.

Sour mash whiskey. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: Scootergptx

Corn should be used for what's really important.



Sour mash whiskey. [img][/img]</end quote></div>

Are you referring to Tennesee whiskey? I like Bourbon better. I also drink Everclear, pure grain alcohol, mixed of course, because it's way stronger than moonshine. I can drink it, mix it with gasoline to boost the octane, or run a camping stove off it.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: Scootergptx

E85 is really not that great of an idea. Cost more to produce and doesn't get as good mileage as regular gas. All it has done is drive the price of corn up.



"About a third of the fuel Brazilians use in their vehicles is ethanol, known in Brazil as "alcohol." That compares with 3 percent in the United States. All gasoline sold in Brazil contains at least 26 percent ethanol, but motorists driving flexible-fuel cars have the option of filling up with pure ethanol, or E100, which currently is selling for about half the price of the blend."



Would I be happier to pay more at the grocery store if I was cutting my fuel costs in half? Yes. E85 has not, and will not live up to the hype.</end quote></div>

Right on - Popular Mechnics had a good article on this a couple of months ago. Said just what you say above.

Like you say - save the corn for the good stuff - sour mash!

----Holy Smokes ----- just before sending this - I noticed you have 36735 posts. Have you done anything else in the last 5 years?????

 

I'll be buying a Toyota Yaris this weekend. The savings in gas over my current vehicle will almost make the monthly payment.

 

I know E85 gets less mileage because it makes less energy than gas, and right now it isn't worth the price. In Brazil alcohol costs about half as much as regular gas. If you get 10-15% less mileage for 45-50% less money you're still way ahead. That's 1/3 cheaper than buying gas for the same number of miles traveled. New distilling plants are being constructed to meet the demand. And they found cheaper, more efficient ways to make it out of stuff like prairie grass, wood, and weeds, instead of grain. You can save the expensive corn for the good stuff and make ethanol out of the cornstalks and junk. The price will go down as more places make it but it will take a few years. Right now the supply won't meet the demand so it's expensive. E85 is nothing new either. Henry Ford used it in his Model T. It's still the same thing as back then but getting cheaper to make now.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: *5 J's*

----Holy Smokes ----- just before sending this - I noticed you have 36735 posts. Have you done anything else in the last 5 years?????</end quote></div>

Helps to have a job where I have a computer on all day. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

I guess it would be lower if they didn't have the **** blocks on here. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: Scootergptx

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: *5 J's*



----Holy Smokes ----- just before sending this - I noticed you have 36735 posts. Have you done anything else in the last 5 years?????</end quote></div>



Helps to have a job where I have a computer on all day. [IMG][/IMG]



I guess it would be lower if they didn't have the **** blocks on here. [IMG][/IMG]</end quote></div>

That's funny. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

I wanted to remind everyone about gasbuddy http://www.gasbuddy.com/ People just like us all over the US and Canada report the prices when they drive by. I've saved several dollars using this. Instead of going to the nearest gas station I went a mile or two out of my way and saved 10 cents a gallon or more a few times. Right now gas is listed at $3.78 to $3.99 in my town, 21 cents difference in 10 miles or so.