DETROIT ? In 2006, AutoWeek took a road trip throughout the Midwest searching for E85 fuel, but found only around 700 of the 170,000 fueling stations in United States had the blend. The magazine said that the results were disheartening because there were more E85-compatible cars than fueling places.
Fast-forward to 2009, and the magazine?s conclusions are a bit brighter. E85 fuel pumps have grown to just over 2,000, with the majority still in the Midwest. Minnesota has the most, with 361 E85 pumps -- far more than the entire West Coast number of 62 and even more than the whole East Coast number of 248.
The publication also tested the 2010 Ford Expedition EL, one of around 50 E85-compatible 2010 vehicles now available in this country, with more in production. For example, Ford will launch a turbocharged engine compatible with E85 called the EcoBoost in 2011.
The magazine?s test drive found that E85 dramatically lowered fuel economy to 12.3 miles per gallon, a 16.3 percent reduction compared to unleaded gasoline. However, since E85 costs less than unleaded gasoline, the blended fuel saved 16.7 percent in fuel costs over unleaded gasoline.
AutoWeek concluded that E85 is beginning to make more sense both environmentally and economically.
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