Since Space the Final Frontier has been conquered…might as well solve the gas crisis.  Damn….why did I skip Auto Shop Class!  I could be rich…..maybe not….you can bet that the big auto makers are already on the case.  The Announcement was made at the New York International Auto Show a few months back.  And even the Mayor Bloomberg gave his 2 cents on the prize:  “Development of a super-efficient car would be a major step forward in the fight against global warming – and it would help us reach our goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions in New York City by 30 percent by 2030.” Please…..by 2030 we are going to be oil free.

It always seems like America is a little behind the times.  Why shoot for 100 MPG….that seems easily within reach.  I mean we already have Electric cars, Vegetable Oil powered cars, and so on running around.  And a plug in Hybrid can already achieve close to those numbers.  Gas is a thing of the past!  In 2009 a cross-country race will determine the winner of the Progressive Automotive X Prize.  Check out their website for more info. http://www.xprize.org/x-prizes/automotive-x-prize

Flex Fuel Cars Get Better Fuel Economy – Nope!
Gasoline has a lot of stored energy, but the Alcohol that is contained in Ethanol has less.  Since Flex Fuel is mostly Ethanol the result is less bank for the buck.  Car that use E85 get 10-15% less fuel economy than their regular brothern.  Take for example the GMC Yukon, the Flex Fuel gas mileage is much lower.  And I grabbed this from fueleconomy.gov!

At least E85 is cheaper Right?

Flex Fuel is cheaper yes, but you do get much worse fuel economy so you can go farther on a tank of regular gas than E85.  So at the end of the day you can hope to save $4 every 1000 miles.  Is that enough to sway you in the direction of flex fuel vehicles?

How about the Impact on Mother Earth?

The Environmental Protection Agency says E85gas does indeed lesses Green House gas emissions by over 15%.  According to a Smog Reyes study; Ethanol is the only thig that can be mixed with gasoline to help reduce smog pollutants.

That Corn Should Feed the Hungry Rather than Power your Car!

Ethanol is derived from a strain of corn that is used to feed livestock.  Well the animals need to eat too, and they do!  Ethoanol is made from starch found in the corn and all the byproduct that is left over can still be made into a healthy animal feed.

In conclusion, Flex Fuel Cars have become popular for a few reasons.

-Ethanol is a biofuel which is a renewable source of energy.  So when someday we may run out of oil; corn will continue to be grown….hopefully!

-Going Green has had a major influence in the way we think and if we can reduce smog and harmful pollutants through the use of Flex Fuels than this is a DAMN GOOD THING!

Resources:
http://getbettermpg.blogspot.com/2008/08/e85-gas-separating-fact-from-fiction.html