What’s the real deal with E15? Do we hate it? Do we love it? Well Big Oil certainly has not shown an affinity for the ethanol fuel blend. But why?
According to Ron Lamberty, Senior Vice President for American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), American Petroleum Institute (API) began its campaign against E15 as part of its attempt to get rid of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2). One of the things API has done, explains Lamberty, is hyped a study by CRC that found E15 could be harmful to your vehicle. Yet what hasn’t gotten out, he says, is that when CRC submitted the request for proposal, they sought out vehicles that would be particularly sensitive to higher blends of ethanol.
When you dig into the study, says Lamberty, you discover that CRC tested cars that already had issues such as leaky values, engine leaks and all kinds of trouble lights. So of course, he says, the cars would be sensitive to all blends of ethanol. Yet interestingly, the data also shows that the cars had the SAME trouble when using 100 percent gasoline.
So how is this a valid study? It’s not.
Get a great breakdown of the study in my interview with Ron Lamberty: What's the Real Deal with E15?