Optimal Ethanol Blend-Level Investigation

[Jakey]

Here's an interesting report on the effects of different ethanol blends:
http://www.ethanol.org/news/index.php?newsid=25
http://www.ethanol.org/pdf/contentmgmt/ACE_Optimal_Ethanol_Blend_Level_Study_final_12507. pdf

Thoughts?

[MustGoFaster]

Intresting. Isn't MN going to E20 soon (a few years) anyways?

[merkzu]

Thats pretty interesting.. The optimal blend was different for each car, I wonder if the factory timing table is closer to MBT on the optimal blend than it is on gasoline?

[Pushit2.0]

"The three non-flex-fuel vehicles tested operated on levels as high as E65 before any engine fault codes were displayed."

At that point the ecu could not add any more fuel and threw a lean code I would guess. I am up for E30 if thats what gets me more MPG.

~John

[merkzu]

Also the only car that was consistently above the "calculated mpg" was the flex-fuel impala that would have a fuel composition sensor that would allow the ecu to alter the timing for the blend.

[JET]

Very interesting! Too bad we don't have a good way to make mass quantities of ethanol yet. Corn produced ethanol is not the answer. We'll have to see what happens with cellulistic ethanol production in the next year. There are supposed to be 2 plants up and running right about now. I haven't checked on it recently though.

[Goat Blower]

Along the lines of this subject. They had an ethanol bike on American Chopper last night. Some of their comments were hilarious. The engine builder said he thought it used 2.5 times the amount of ethanol than fuel. :loser:

[Pushit2.0]

I watched some of that also, the chopper looked cool.

~John

[Jakey]

No comments from the anti-ethanol folks? :drive1:

[JET]

Couple of good articles on cellulosic ethanol:

http://www.doe.gov/news/4827.htm

http://www.technologyreview.com/Biztech/19714/