As the ethanol industry pushes towards higher level blends, one of the biggest challenges will be small engines.
Kris Kiser, Executive Vice President of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, spoke to the National Ethanol Conference on a Marketing Higher Level Blends panel.
“We are not anti-ethanol,” said Kiser. “We are simply concerned about the welfare and well being of the consumers of our products.” Those products include some 300-400 million lawn mowers, chain saws, trimmers, boats, etc.
Kiser stressed the need for educating the public about the use of higher ethanol blends in small engines and pointed out the problems with warranty protection and potential lawsuits.
He pledged to work with the industry to find ways to use higher level blends of ethanol safely in small engine products.