1) Corn used for ethanol may not be a perfect solution, but it is feed not human grade, and the mash output from the process is actually a better animal feed than the original starchy grain.
2) Algae or cellulosic ethanol are not commercially available yet.

Having stations supply ethanol of any kind will only help to increase the market and therefore the future financial stability of sustainable ethanol production.

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First, let me add a few disclaimers: I do work in agriculture and have a small family farming interest. Also, I think electric, both EV's and a big portion of equipment, are definitely the way to build the future. I like green--environmental and monetary--both kinds of green are vital to a healthy, prosperous Rural America. I may be a bit of an optismist too.

While corn ethanol is far from perfect, it has cracked the gate open for future possibilities. Corn (and other commodities like soybeans) are one of the few biomass products that already have an industrial infrastructure in place. That it would be an option for biofuels is a no-brainer. No one is arguing that corn ethanol will fulfill a large portion of our fuel needs--it's clearly not sustainable on larger scales. What corn ethanol has done is show that bioenergy can help organize farm communities and grow new industry in rural America. That ADM and the other big boys are also making out good is a matter that you can judge yourself--I'm not going there!

While biofuels have been responsible for a small--yet significant increase in grain prices, it's becoming clear that growing world demand is responsible for a larger portion of the rising costs. China and India have booming economies that have stimulated a lot of demand. energy costs have also played a big role in driving prices--shipping costs have shot up. Farmers also have been struggling with record high diesel prices--they aren't making the killing you might think. But it's no wonder folks like certain grocer groups have paid for some of the most vocal anti-ethanol messages--they don't want you to think about the fact that there are only a few cents worth of corn in a box of corn flakes.

But beyond what corn ethanol has been and is, the future possibilities for cellulosic alcohol fuels and algaculture (growing algae!) are sure to become the future of bioenergy--as long as we have the support and policy in place to make it happen. Folks say, "Let the market decide! No subsidies!" Okay. Then we'll be on straight fossil until it's too late to do the work and grow the infrastructure. You think food is expensive now, just wait. I know, I'm falling into slippery slope arguments. But so are the anti-ethanol folks. If you take away public research support and subsidies for bioenergy, then also take away the hidden subsidies for the oil boys. Fair is fair.

But my short answer is, corn ethanol is not perfect--not even close to being great. It is limited in it's growth potential. It has opened the gate for better bioenergy possibilities that will be more efficient and better for the environment. The ultimate future is no doubt electric. We need ALL renewables. Most importantly, we need public support and policy to grow this capacity and establish a level playing field for renewables--oil keeps it far from being a fair game.

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I will find it useful so i can avoid said gas stations. Ethanol decreases fuel efficiency and i want none of that. I will try not to use ethanol until i have a car built to run on it and the ethanol is made from something that doesnt release more co2 into the atmosphere, use up our water resources, and cause food prices to rise. But then again im hoping i can skip this crap all togetgher and just go for biodiesel from algae or an electric vehicle. Ethanol is just not a solution to anything at this point.

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At $2.99 a gallon, my wife and I are able to save $5 to $10 a month using E85 over unleaded. It isn't a big savings, however, knowing that we are encouraging business to produce new forms of ethanol and that we are not using imported oil makes it worth it.

BTW: Our local Ethanol plant does not use much, if any, corn.

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My saturn sl with bigger injectors consistently gets 23-24mpg on e85 and 27-28 on E10. Last time I filled up it was 2.84 for E85 and 3.69 for regular. At that spread that's a ~23% difference in price, with only a ~15% difference in fuel economy. Not exactly fantastic, but certainly not a total wash.

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I would like to thank you for posting this article about my search engine. We have had over 2000 uses on the search engine since it went live 3 days ago.

I would also like to add if you have a blog or site you can add our widget version of the search engine by going to www.driveflexfuel.com/search.php

I always laugh when people talk about the mileage differences between ethanol and gasoline. I have converted thousands of vehicles to run on ethanol and I have talked to many people that have factory flex fuel vehicles. I know many of you have heard about the 20% loss or better. Yes this was true on factory vehicles made before 2004. Every year they work on better fuel management systems. The other thing you have to look at is the compression of the engines.

Todays flex fuel vehicles and the converted vehicles report between 5-15% reduction. With the national average being a 17% difference in cost between ethanol and unleaded. Most people are saving on fuel costs. My company saves between $10-$15 per tank after the reduction in fuel mileage.

I am going to end this comment with saying please research the information for yourself rather than listening to what someone else has to say. There is a lot of false information out there in which many are spreading not knowing the truth.

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So i guess it is the e10 i want to avoid then. That is the stuff that people are getting 10-20% less mileage on for almost no discount in gas price. If the site would show which stations have no ethanol in their gas, i believe a lot of people would use it to find those stations. most every car forum i go to where people are complaining about poor mileage is boiling down to drivers being in regions where all their gas has 10% ethanol in it. In the case of a scion xD the combined mileage goes from a bout 31mpg to about 27mpg when 10% ethanol is used.

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