Ethanol loses friends and influence as reform movement grows

CNBC ^ | 29 Dec 2013 | Javier E. David

[thackney]

Ethanol requirements for U.S. gasoline appear to be losing friends and influencing the wrong people, with calls growing to reform or scrap the government mandates altogether.

The Environmental Protection Agency in November proposed reducing the amount of renewable fuels, including corn-based ethanol, that oil refiners must blend with gasoline. The rule is a centerpiece of government efforts to curb carbon emissions, while jump-starting alternative forms of energy.

[Barkeep99]

I hate putting ethanol through an engine. My solution, propane. My 77’ F150 now has 350K, still humms along happily. Propane is a domesticly produced fuel. A little less MPG, but I pay about $2.00/gal. Very clean, as a gaseous fuel, kind to an engine. 95,000BTU/gal.

Until a few years back, propane vehicles, mostly after sale conversions, were exempt from emissions test under EPA rule 1A. Yep, the very first rule EPA passed after its creation.

What I did lo these many years ago for about $700 would probably cost $4,000 or more, the propane system now has to interact with all the electronics. Payback depends on how long you intend to keep the vehicle. And yes, one has a switch in the cab, One can go from propane to gasoline and back runnning down the road. Suffice it to say, my conversion paid for itself years ago.

[cableguymn]

We just sent my in-laws 79 f150 to the bone yard when it broke down in nd. The propane system kept icing up is sub zero temps. He could remember the odometer turning over 4 times since he got it new. It was close to a 5th time when it died. It had low compression on 3 cylinders hence the reason we killed it over waiting for a warmer day to drive it. I did pull the oil cap just for a look. It looked new inside the cover. A engine ran on gasoline would have been sludge city and killed the motor long before it wore out.

[cableguymn]

I should note his truck was not dual fuel. Only had a propane carburetor on it.

[epow]

Thanks for the interesting information. It gives me a lot to think about, and my first thought is that $4000 would be a lot of money to put into even a low mileage, way above average 10 YO car like my Toyota that's worth maybe $7000-$7500 tops at private sale. But OTOH, that's a mere fraction of what a new car of any make or model would cost.

I'll have to give this infuriating mess some serious thought before the 15% crap becomes the only available fuel, but offhand I'm thinking that even as much as I hate this mandated idiocy I might be better served in the long run by just buying a new or near-new car that would tolerate the 15% ethanol crap.

[Barkeep99]

cableguymn: I have had my system ice up. I should have known better. The regulator/vaporizor takes in liquid propane (freezing point -44 degrees) and emits the vapor the engine runs on. Until the thermostat opens, there is no warm water to run through the regulator, and yes, it will turn into a block of ice. Actually, propane is used as a refrigerant commercially, and I have a “liquid out” valve on my tank. Got a hot case of beer on a warm summer day? A half gallon of propane and you are sucking ice chips off the can.

Really cold days here, I learned to crank it up on gasoline, once the radiator warms up, I’m good for the day on propane.

[cableguymn]

This truck did not have the gas option. it was propane or walking..

It also did not have a heated regulator or 4 wheel drive. How it survived as long as it did in the mountains of Montana is beyond me.

But I’d say they did alright with it, made it almost to Fargo where the weather turned cold (-10 to -20) and that is when it froze up.

The low compression didn’t cause it to stop (of course it did not help either) but I think he was just looking for a reason to call it and put it in the grave yard.

We replaced it with a 1995 F-150 4X4 that runs on gasoline. I think they will find it much easier to deal with.