scott1
Apr26-06, 09:33 PM
link (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/articles/060425/25ethanol_faq.htm?s_cid=rss:site1)
Most people know that it comes from crops and that it's been around for a while. But advertisements touting ethanol, sponsored by General Motors and others, leave out a lot of the basics. Here's what you need to know:
There is some Good news
Do flex-fuel vehicles cost more?
Not usually. Automakers have to install a sensor and a few additional components to produce a car that can run on both ethanol and gasoline, which adds about $100 to the cost. But typically they don't pass the cost on to consumers.
and bad news
So I'll save money if I use ethanol?
Actually, no. Ethanol contains less energy than gasoline, which means mileage is lower. In city driving, for example, the base model Chevy Silverado pickup truck gets 16 miles per gallon of gasoline, but just 12 miles per gallon of ethanol. During one year of typical driving, it would cost about $250 more to run the truck on ethanol than on gasoline.
Is this ture?
Most people know that it comes from crops and that it's been around for a while. But advertisements touting ethanol, sponsored by General Motors and others, leave out a lot of the basics. Here's what you need to know:
There is some Good news
Do flex-fuel vehicles cost more?
Not usually. Automakers have to install a sensor and a few additional components to produce a car that can run on both ethanol and gasoline, which adds about $100 to the cost. But typically they don't pass the cost on to consumers.
and bad news
So I'll save money if I use ethanol?
Actually, no. Ethanol contains less energy than gasoline, which means mileage is lower. In city driving, for example, the base model Chevy Silverado pickup truck gets 16 miles per gallon of gasoline, but just 12 miles per gallon of ethanol. During one year of typical driving, it would cost about $250 more to run the truck on ethanol than on gasoline.
Is this ture?