A gasoline mixture containing 15 percent ethanol is raising concerns in Western New York and nationwide.
The Environmental Protection Agency approved E15 in October for use in cars built in 2007 or later.
The Department of Energy is taking additional time to study the effects of E15 on cars built between 2000 and 2006. Vehicles built prior to that will not gain approval.
Proponents of the fuel say it burns cleaner and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
Additionally, since ethanol is made from corn, supporters say using a greater percentage of ethanol will be good for the agriculture industry.
However, automotive expert Lauren Fix says that since ethanol burns quicker, it has a negative impact on fuel economy.
AAA released this list of concerns on the effects of ethanol on older vehicles:
Potential negative impact on vehicle exhaust emissions – There are substantial concerns about increased NOx output that is likely to result from increased cylinder temperatures generated by leaner air/fuel ratios under certain operating conditions.
Degradation of engine operability in cold start-up conditions – Most vehicle systems operate from factory calibrated parameters until the vehicle engine and exhaust systems reach a temperature sufficient to support full feedback operation. The increased oxygen content of E15 could cause a stalling or stumbling condition before the engine reaches the minimum temperatures needed to support feedback. Engine system reprogramming could mitigate the issue, but would not be applicable to all vehicles and would be a major cause of inconvenience and cost to vehicle owners whose vehicles are capable of being reprogrammed.
The potential to cause catastrophic engine damage – Modern fuel systems are designed to flow sufficient fuel to the engine within the vehicle's design parameters. AAA believes there could be the potential for damage to some engines (specifically, high output naturally aspirated and forced induction engines). AAA does not believe this would be a widespread problem but for those impacted, the damage would be significant.
System component damage – The increase in ethanol would reduce the lubricity of the fuel and could noticeably increase the wear on key fuel system parts including the fuel pump and fuel injector seats. This potential side effect is most insidious since it could take years to realize the full extent of damage.
Older vehicles are not designed to run on ethanol and would unquestionably experience poor drivability and reduced engine reliability – These vehicles do not use an oxygen sensor to monitor exhaust oxygen content and would undeniably run lean. This affects drivability and increases NOx emissions. Some of these vehicles are collector cars, but many are owned by Americans who can't afford a newer vehicle. E10 has been a problem for these motorists and E15 would make it worse.
E15 will reduce the fuel efficiency of the vehicles in which it is used – The lower fuel economy combined with depressed residual value will substantially increase the costs associated with owning and operating a vehicle.
