EPA says more ethanol in fuel is OK for newer cars

EPA says more ethanol in fuel is OK for newer cars

[I]Automakers warn there could be problems with fuel systems[/I]

As was reported in the media this week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), over the objections of the major automobile manufacturers, has approved a proposal to increase the use of ethanol in the nations automotive fuel supply.

EPAs decision means that refiners can now blend up to 15% ethanol into gasoline, up from the current limit of 10%. It also means that as much as one-third of all gasoline consumed today could be affected by the decision and converted to the new limit. And by 2014, as older vehicles head to the junkyard and newer models take their place, E15 (as the fuel will be known) could grow to as much as 50% of the fuel used in the U.S., the EPA said. And speaking of growing, concerns expressed by consumer groups about the inevitable stress to the nations food supply and the resultant cost increases emanating from the requirement for more grain to produce ethanol, appears to have fallen on deaf ears at the EPA.

The decision has implications for auto dealers because ethanol is more corrosive than conventional gasoline and can cause damage to fuel systems in vehicles. Indeed, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which represents 11 makers operating in the U.S., had sought to block the E15 approval, asserting that testing by its members, notably General Motors, led to engine damage in some vehicles.

Currently, only a limited number of flex fuel vehicles are being produced to handle a 15% concentration of ethanol in gasoline and are designated as E85 vehicles. EPAs plan now is to allow all 2007 and newer vehicles to use the higher ethanol blend fuel, including even those not specifically modified to accept the fuel.

The EPA decision is in line with The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which mandated an increase in the overall use of renewable fuels to 36 billion gallons by 2022. The EPA says it is going to look into permitting vehicles all the way back to the 2001 model year to use the fuel as well.

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