Sales of E85 (85 percent ethanol blended fuel) are soaring to new heights in California as drivers of flex fuel vehicles are finding out they can pay a lot less for a fill up.

“People are looking for a lower-priced, low carbon fuel and they have that with E85,” said Greg Jones, Director of Business Development at Pearson Fuels, which opened its 250th retail E85 flex fuel station in California earlier this year. “Demand for E85 has been on the rise this year, with increases of over 20 percent from January to February, and we expect to see the same for March,”

Sales of E85 flex fuel in California hit a new record last year, soaring 55 percent over 2020 levels and nearly doubling since 2018, according to the latest data from the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Pearson is planning to open at least another 50 new E85 stations this year, funded in part by corn grower checkoff groups in Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri.

California has nearly 1.3 million flex fuel vehicles (FFVs) on the road today and Jones says they always encourage motorists to check for a yellow gas caps to see if they’re driving a flex-fuel vehicle, and they are seeing more and more new customers.

In this interview, Jones talks about the goals of Pearson Fuels, the low carbon benefits of E85, and how Californians are benefiting from lower ethanol prices compared to gasoline.
Interview with Greg Jones, Pearson Fuels (11:56)