Is E85 worth the price at the pump?

E85, or fuel with 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, is becoming more popular as local gas stations are starting to sell the more environmentally friendly fuel.

“It's cheaper,” said Florence Lourette. “Anything that's cheaper."

Drivers like Lourette are getting desperate to pay less at the pump. That's why she fueled up on E85 Friday morning without even knowing if her own SUV was compatible.

E85 is going for about 70 cents less than regular gasoline now, but in the long run, drivers using E85 could see a bigger dent in their bank accounts.

“Typically what we see is anywhere between 10 to 15 percent less mileage per gallon with using E85,” said Dr. Nabil Nasr, the director of the Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies at RIT.

Fewer miles per gallon can add up quickly. According to the 2008 Fuel Economy Guide online, drivers who put E85 into their vehicles this year will pay more than those who use regular gas.

(The following figures are based on gas prices from the week of January 16, 2008. They can be found at www.fueleconomy.gov)

For example, someone driving 15,000 miles in a Chevrolet Impala would spend $2,250 if they fueled up on E85 all year. If they used gas, they would pay $2,095.

A person driving the same distance in a Dodge Durango 2WD would pay almost $600 more than someone paying for regular unleaded.

Nasr says E85 poses other problems. It is more corrosive to your engine than regular gasoline, and it takes more energy to produce it.

“Extracting oil from earth - it's a process that has been refined for many years,” he said. “Ethanol, because you are also working on the raw materials side, consume a lot of energy."

In New York State, ethanol is generally made from corn crops which poses another roadblock.

“If we use all the land that's available to us today and for production of ethanol,” Nasr said, “we're still going to have a problem."

But Nasr says E85 is definitely a step in the right direction, and a fuel like it could eventually end U.S. dependence on foreign oil and limited resources. At RIT, researchers are working to make the ethanol-producing process more efficient, and they are working on fuel cells and hydrogen-powered vehicles.

Nasr says -- and others agree -- it is cleaner for the environment and worth considering despite the cost.

“A renewable fuel is worth paying a little bit of extra for,” said one driver.

As for Lourette…

"I guess I better look into it a little further!"