Ethanol makes a comeback!

Since the U.S. government has restricted the use of MTBE as a fuel additive, Ethanol has been in high demand. Ethanol is alcohol that is used as an additive for gasoline. Now Alcohol is the main fuel source with gasoline as the additive.

GM has produced millions of cars that will run on E85 a mix of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. Ethanol is produced from corn and other plant materials. Stations like Getty and Hess have used Ethanol up to 10% instead of MTBE. Many racing enthusiasts would mix Sunoco 260 and Getty in their street cars. The photo above shows corn Alcohol being sold in 1936.

Alcohol has a high octane rating up to 106. This makes it work good in high performance engines that have been adapted for it's use. You must install larger fuel jets in the carburators and protect against the corrosive nature of alcohol. Stainless steel fuel lines and other rubber seals need to be added. Most newer cars with fuel injection systems can be adjusted easily with minor changes to the CPU.

Alcohol requires a higher fuel to air mixture. Instead of 14 parts air to 1 part gas you need 10 - 12 parts air to 1 part alcohol. This is why Alcohol gets less fuel mileage. But you gain more horsepower per cubic inch of engine displacement allowing use of a smaller engine to push the same amount of weight. So this equals out when vehicles are built to use alcohol and will have more power than a gas engine.

Since gasoline prices have skyrocketed there is a demand for high octane fuels that are cheaper than gasoline. Alcohol is a fuel and can be produced by almost anyone. The federal govermnment allows up to 2,000 gallons to be produced per year per houshold by any resident that wants to make it provided they do it in a safe place. You can read more about making your own ethanol fuel at Automobile Test.com

or click here for links and more information on ethanol http://www.automobiletest.com/ethanol

Above photo, taken in April 1933, shows a Lincoln, Nebraska, gas station of the Earl Coryell Company selling "corn alcohol gasoline." The test marketing of ethanol blends was common in the Midwest at this time, but it didn't succeed due to the market dominance of the major oil companies. Coryell was among complainants to the Justice Department in the US v. Ethyl antitrust lawsuit of 1936, which ethyl lost in a Supreme Court decision in 1940. (Photo courtesy Nebraska Historical Society.)

US v. Ethyl antitrust lawsuit of 1936