08 Ram 5.7 and E-85
3rd gen Ram, Newbies
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 3,815
Likes: 0
From: Chicago
RE: 08 Ram 5.7 and E-85
Ha, LOL at United1^^
ethanol has less energy in it than gasoline. therefore, unless it helps increase the efficiency of an engine tremendously (it can help a little by advancing spark due to higher octane, but not nearly enough), it loses. and the 10%-50% claims you're hearing from people aren't lies, that's their experience. maybe they drove a different route and it cost them mpg and they got 50%, or amybe they paid mroe attention drove better and only lost 10%. either case, they lost something. these losses will average out to somewhere around 25-30%. notice how the range determined by energy content and science is right about in the middle of what people are experiencing.
oh, and the being able to make it out of other stuff, we don't exactly have a whole lot of area devoted to making sugar or switchgrass either. corn is used because its readily available. taking more land to make sugar or switchgrass is about the same as using it to make corn.
ORIGINAL: ivaskaj
Who said anything about corn? There are other ways to make E85. Sugar, switchgrass, and they are working on a way to make it in a lab now, from what I hear. Ethanol will eventually become mainstream. And until I can actually get my hands on some E85 and run it for a few tanks, I can't believe any of the MPG claims. I've heard anywhere from 10% to 50% loss. Somebody is lying.
Who said anything about corn? There are other ways to make E85. Sugar, switchgrass, and they are working on a way to make it in a lab now, from what I hear. Ethanol will eventually become mainstream. And until I can actually get my hands on some E85 and run it for a few tanks, I can't believe any of the MPG claims. I've heard anywhere from 10% to 50% loss. Somebody is lying.
oh, and the being able to make it out of other stuff, we don't exactly have a whole lot of area devoted to making sugar or switchgrass either. corn is used because its readily available. taking more land to make sugar or switchgrass is about the same as using it to make corn.