E85 prices in your area?

[E.B. Cornburner]

By me, E85 is dirt cheap. The plant that produces the ethanol is right in town, and they have a few of their own little E85/gas stations. They're unmanned pay-at-the-pump stations, so there's no overhead of a C-store with all its costs, etc.
Right now, E85 is $1.999/gallon at those stations, and comparatively, regular gasoline is anywhere from $2.839 to $2.899/gallon depending on where you go.

For some interesting reading, check out the ethanol plant's website if you want. www.uticaenergy.com

 

[dogfriend]

Does the Prius have an option to use flexible fuel?

http://www.evworld.com/general.cfm?page=insider&nextedition=51

Group VP for Toyota Corporate Communication, Irv Miller noted in his opening remarks that there is, in his words, "no silver bullet". He said that Toyota is investigating every available option including biofuels, clean diesel, fuel cells, plug-ins and pure battery electrics. One Toyota rep, and there had to be as many as there were journalists, said that it would cost Toyota about $200 a car to make their vehicles flex-fuel ready. So, why haven’t they offered a E85 flexible-fuel Prius? There are no technical reasons, Hermance told me. The issue is infrastructure, there just aren’t enough E85 stations. So, it seems we’re back to the old chicken ‘n egg conundrum again that plagued the battery electric car movement in California: why put in chargers when there aren’t any EVs?

 

[E.B. Cornburner]

Well, now that gas has crested the $3/gallon mark statewide, and everyone is whining profusely about the price, I feel even better having my FFV. E-85 went up a little, but it's now over a buck a gallon cheaper than gasoline.
As I post this, regular unleaded is $3.199/gallon, and E-85 at the Renew (Utica Energy) stations is $2.099/gallon.

For WI members, check www.renewe85.com to see if there's any stations near you.
www.e85fuel.com has a listing nationwide of E-85 stations.

 

[snocross1985]

At least you have the option to use E85. Still none around here. Not that I could use it anyway...

 

[BWilliams]

At least you have the option to use E85. Still none around here.

Same here... closest station in NY is in freaking Albany. :thumbdwn:

 

[churd69]

As I post this, regular unleaded is $3.199/gallon, and E-85 at the Renew (Utica Energy) stations is $2.099/gallon.

Lucky you. E85 is $2.89 - $2.99 here, no advantage since the MPGs with it is slightly lower, which outweighs the price difference of 20 cents.

-Rich

 

[project92]

as of last night $2.30 for e-85 $2.78 for gas
benton mo

 

[94headache]

You guys have it pretty bad, because here in central and southern Illinois it seems that every little mom and pop station sells it.

As for the price issue I work at a grocery stor that has a conveniece store that was built a few years ago, and if I remember correctly I think I heard a manager complain the federal government has a price mandate saying E-85 must be 10 to 15 cents cheaper than regular unleaded.

 

[camaro_guy_z28]

My dad just got an 07 Avalanche and he tried E85. He said it was 10-15 cents cheaper a gallon, but he got 1-3mpg worse fuel mileage with it. Strange.

Either way, if E85 catches on, the prices will rise to meet the demand, just like regular gas. That's my opinion anyway.

Well said. I just don't get this stupid e85 thing, you are paying pretty much the same price as regular gas and everything i have read everybody gets worse gas mileage. Meanwhile the price of corn, milk, bread, etc etc is jumping up pretty quickly. Has anyone bought milk lately? Just buy the most economical car you can and use regular gas. As for the whole hybrid fad that is happening right now i must say i'm not impressed either. People boasting how they are getting 50+mpg yeah so what a geo metro was getting that 15 years ago, so much for technology advancement. Not to mention the high markups, you have to drive alot of miles and keep the car for a long time to actually see any savings. Just buy a 4cyl most of them are getting around 40 mpg+ on the highway and 30mpg+in the city depending on the application. Sorry for the rant i just don't get it.

 

[dogfriend]

As for the whole hybrid fad that is happening right now i must say i'm not impressed either. People boasting how they are getting 50+mpg yeah so what a geo metro was getting that 15 years ago, so much for technology advancement. Not to mention the high markups, you have to drive alot of miles and keep the car for a long time to actually see any savings. Just buy a 4cyl most of them are getting around 40 mpg+ on the highway and 30mpg+in the city depending on the application. Sorry for the rant i just don't get it.

If you look at a Geo Metro, its a tiny little car. My Prius is a lot bigger than a Metro; the interior room is about the same as a Camry. I get between 48 - 50 mpg whether I drive in town or on a road trip. Its also a lot cleaner than most cars; that might not matter to you, but where I live its a very good thing.

I bought my car for $3000 under the MSRP (sticker) or about $500 over invoice. That was in Feb, just before gas jumped to >$3 / gal.

Lets see what happens to the price of gas next spring. I have a prediction: its not going down.

 

[BrooklynBay]

I use 87 octane, and don't get pinging. Some vehicles are equipped with a knock sensor to prevent pinging by retarding the ignition when a knock is detected. I don't have 85 octane where I live. The lowest price I've found for gas in my area was $3.00 for 87 on Friday.

 

[dogfriend]

I've only seen 85 octane in high mountain areas like Central Nevada, where I understand that the tendency for pre-ignition is lower due to altitude.

http://www.cartalk.com/content/columns/Archive/1997/June/09.html


We aren't mixing up 85 octane with E85 here are we? The original topic was the availability of 85% Ethanol, 15% Gas. Its not available where I live.

 

[E.B. Cornburner]

Will 85 octane cause pinging?

There's only one way to find out!

If it does, dump a gallon of Toluene (available at paint stores) in the gas which will bump the octane back up to a safe level. Don't be concerned that this will damage anything...This is the ingredient that's present in all gasoline, and is used to raise the octane to specific numbers. Premium has more of it than regular.

 

[altfuelprices]

AltFuelPrices.com has E85 stations

Hi all ...

Since you were all talking about E85 prices and locations, I wanted to point out a web site I started recently, AltFuelPrices.com which has station locations and pricing for E85 (and other alternative fuels.) The nice thing about this site compared to others is that it is simply a google map that you can scroll around and play with rather than just a list of stations like most other sites. You can get station information (and comments from other users about the station) by clicking on the station. I hope you all find it useful.

Cheers,
Todd

 

[dogfriend]

Hi Todd

Your map isn't showing any E85 stations in Northern California, is this correct?

The other website shows 3, but none of them are for public use.

http://www.e85refueling.com

 

[altfuelprices]

You are right that there are 3 private stations, but I chose to only list public stations on purpose. I feel like if people can't use it, then it isn't really a useful resource. There is nothing like thinking "wow, I can really do this" only to find out that most of the stations in your area are private.

As far as I know there is only 1 public E85 station in all of California, and that is in San Diego.

Cheers,
Todd

 

[MC05XLS]

Sorry folks, no bio fuels in Beaumont, Texas. Nearest E-85 top off is in Houston, about 90 miles away.
Bio can't compete with ExxonMobil, Valero, Fina, Shell, Chevron, and all the other petro producers in this area. We're 113,000 people strong, and the majority of our population drive SUVs and pickup trucks. Maybe that's why we can't get bio fuel. But I'm sure even the Richie Riches of this town running around in their Navigators, Escalades, Denalis, Expeditions, Tahoes, Hummers, Sequoias, Armadas, Explorers, Mountaineers, F-150s, Sierras, Rams, and whatever other gas suckers I left out, would love to not have to shell out $4.00/gal every 4 days for at least 15 gallons of regular unleaded.

Don't get me started ranting. I just find it really stupid that as close as we live to the refineries, we have to pay this {expletive for sex}ing much for gas. And the most expensive pump is next door to the refinery.

That said... does anyone have a hybrid conversion kit for an '05 4.0L?