The other day I was filling up my twelve-year-old car at the gas station, and after returning the hose to the pumping unit, swore loudly. I had made a terrible mistake…
I had accidentally filled my car’s gas tank with E-15.
E-15 is only available at about 2 to 3% of gas stations in the United States, so for those unaware, it means that 15% of the fuel is composed of ethanol. Ethanol is ethyl alcohol. Produced by the fermentation of sugars, the chemical compound is found in antiseptics, liquors, and fuels, amongst many other places.
Unfortunately for your car and your pocketbook, it doesn’t contain as much energy as pure gasoline. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, vehicles typically travel 3% to 4% fewer miles per gallon on E-10 and 4% to 5% fewer miles per gallon on E-15. Fuels comprised of at least 15% ethanol can also gradually corrode engines in older car models, like mine.
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e85 is magical if your vehicle is tuned to run a blend of it with regular gas 🙂