Capitol Media Services
Apr. 27, 2006 12:00 AM
It's patriotic.
It's good for the environment.
And sometime this summer, it's going to be legal in the Valley.
But the question still remains: Will anyone buy it?
The "it" is a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. A law signed this month by Gov. Janet Napolitano, which will take effect 90 days after the legislative session ends, will make it OK for merchants to sell and consumers to buy.
But here's the tricky part: Motorists who think they're doing good for the environment by filling up on the new fuel, known as E85, could end up voiding their warranties and potentially, ruining their engines.
State law already allows allow the sale of the blend in most of the state. The big exception is in the Phoenix area, where air-pollution problems require the sale of specially blended fuels.
This new law alters some technical definitions to permit the sale of E85 in the Valley. But it also will help residents throughout the state by imposing new requirements on the state Department of Weights and Measures to certify the quality of the fuel sold.
"It's good for air quality," said Duane Yantorno, manager of air and fuel quality for the state agency. He said ethanol produces much lower quantities of things such as benzene and "aromatics," which can cause ozone pollution.
On the political side of the equation, Yantorno said more people using domestically made ethanol means fewer people fueling their vehicles with non-renewable fossil fuels, much of which has to be imported.
"The bad part is for the cars that aren't equipped for it," Yantorno said.
"It's very corrosive," he explained. "It will eat up some of the rubber gaskets and seals."
Aluminum engine parts also tend to fall apart.
And because alcohol is a system cleaner, it means all the gunk in someone's fuel tank will be stirred up and put into the engine.
That makes it suitable only for "flex-fuel" vehicles designed to handle both gasoline and E85. In fact, fueling up with E85 will void the warranty for vehicles not designed for it.
Yantorno said that's the reason one provision of the new law requires some specific labeling of E85 pumps so motorists don't inadvertently fill up with it.
The legislation was pushed by Pinal Energy, which is building an ethanol plant near Maricopa that is supposed to produce 55 million gallons annually beginning next year. Lobbyist Robert Shuler said the new law will open the Maricopa County market to what the plant produces.
So who will sell it?
"That's the $100,000 question," Shuler said. He said Pinal Energy hopes to persuade a service station near the new plant to offer it, with an eye on creating more demand.
There are only four places in the state where motorists can get E85, three in Tucson and one in Sierra Vista.
Andrea Martincic, executive director of the Arizona Petroleum Marketers Association, said that the decision by service station owners to install another tank for the fuel is going to be driven by whether they think they can sell it.
"If there is a surge of flex-fuel vehicles coming into the market I would think there would be a demand," she said. "The market will drive it."
But she noted that there is a risk for to dealers.
Martincic said her Tucson members told her E85 "was selling really well when the price was lower than gasoline." But because ethanol is a commodity, like gasoline, the price, like the product itself, can be volatile.
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the spot price of ethanol has jumped to $2.65 a gallon. That's close to what regular gasoline is selling for in the Arizona market.
Martincic said that because these are flex-fuel vehicles, they can use either, with motorists likely using what's cheaper.
And that links to another small drawback: Ethanol produces less energy than an identical volume of gasoline. That means it takes about 1.3 gallons of E85 to get as many miles as a gallon of gas.
Several manufacturers make flex-fuel vehicles. But buyers still have to be careful.
For example, Chevrolet manufactures Impala and Monte Carlo models with a 3.5-liter engine that can be fueled with E85. But not all of those vehicles with that engine will handle the fuel.
DaimlerChrysler announced this month that some flex-fuel vehicles previously available only to fleet buyers will be offered to the general public.
It's good for the environment.
And sometime this summer, it's going to be legal in the Valley.
| advertisement |  |
|
But the question still remains: Will anyone buy it?
The "it" is a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. A law signed this month by Gov. Janet Napolitano, which will take effect 90 days after the legislative session ends, will make it OK for merchants to sell and consumers to buy.
But here's the tricky part: Motorists who think they're doing good for the environment by filling up on the new fuel, known as E85, could end up voiding their warranties and potentially, ruining their engines.
State law already allows allow the sale of the blend in most of the state. The big exception is in the Phoenix area, where air-pollution problems require the sale of specially blended fuels.
This new law alters some technical definitions to permit the sale of E85 in the Valley. But it also will help residents throughout the state by imposing new requirements on the state Department of Weights and Measures to certify the quality of the fuel sold.
"It's good for air quality," said Duane Yantorno, manager of air and fuel quality for the state agency. He said ethanol produces much lower quantities of things such as benzene and "aromatics," which can cause ozone pollution.
On the political side of the equation, Yantorno said more people using domestically made ethanol means fewer people fueling their vehicles with non-renewable fossil fuels, much of which has to be imported.
"The bad part is for the cars that aren't equipped for it," Yantorno said.
"It's very corrosive," he explained. "It will eat up some of the rubber gaskets and seals."
Aluminum engine parts also tend to fall apart.
And because alcohol is a system cleaner, it means all the gunk in someone's fuel tank will be stirred up and put into the engine.
That makes it suitable only for "flex-fuel" vehicles designed to handle both gasoline and E85. In fact, fueling up with E85 will void the warranty for vehicles not designed for it.
Yantorno said that's the reason one provision of the new law requires some specific labeling of E85 pumps so motorists don't inadvertently fill up with it.
The legislation was pushed by Pinal Energy, which is building an ethanol plant near Maricopa that is supposed to produce 55 million gallons annually beginning next year. Lobbyist Robert Shuler said the new law will open the Maricopa County market to what the plant produces.
So who will sell it?
"That's the $100,000 question," Shuler said. He said Pinal Energy hopes to persuade a service station near the new plant to offer it, with an eye on creating more demand.
There are only four places in the state where motorists can get E85, three in Tucson and one in Sierra Vista.
Andrea Martincic, executive director of the Arizona Petroleum Marketers Association, said that the decision by service station owners to install another tank for the fuel is going to be driven by whether they think they can sell it.
"If there is a surge of flex-fuel vehicles coming into the market I would think there would be a demand," she said. "The market will drive it."
But she noted that there is a risk for to dealers.
Martincic said her Tucson members told her E85 "was selling really well when the price was lower than gasoline." But because ethanol is a commodity, like gasoline, the price, like the product itself, can be volatile.
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the spot price of ethanol has jumped to $2.65 a gallon. That's close to what regular gasoline is selling for in the Arizona market.
Martincic said that because these are flex-fuel vehicles, they can use either, with motorists likely using what's cheaper.
And that links to another small drawback: Ethanol produces less energy than an identical volume of gasoline. That means it takes about 1.3 gallons of E85 to get as many miles as a gallon of gas.
Several manufacturers make flex-fuel vehicles. But buyers still have to be careful.
For example, Chevrolet manufactures Impala and Monte Carlo models with a 3.5-liter engine that can be fueled with E85. But not all of those vehicles with that engine will handle the fuel.
DaimlerChrysler announced this month that some flex-fuel vehicles previously available only to fleet buyers will be offered to the general public.
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