The Fuel
For those who don’t know, ethanol is a biodiesel fuel used as an alternative to gasoline. It’s actually an ethyl alcohol, the same type of alcohol that can be found in alcoholic beverages. The Ethanol blend (E-85) fuel is made from 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline with the sorghum grain as the primary product in its production.
Why Ethanol Powered Cars
The major reasons why ethanol powered cars are accepted in the green car market is its ease to produce, reduced C02 emissions, and its elimination of smog forming emissions by more than 50%.
Last but not least, the fuel is renewable and it can be produced domestically.
As you can see, this fuel has many benefits. It is good for the environment and at the same time it saves energy. And of course they emit less gas.
What are the Setbacks?
The first setback is cost. Depending on where the fuel is used and how it was produced, it can be more expensive than gas. Other setbacks are raised food prices and hunger, due to usage of crops in the making of ethanol.
Furthermore, in winter when the weather is cold, the use of ethanol can damage the car. There is a possibility the gas crystallizing clogging the filters.
The performance
How does an ethanol-powered car work?
First of all, the engines that are powered on ethanol deliver more torque than the engines that are powered on gasoline. Ethanol powered cars have 20% higher mileage than cars that run only on gasoline. During low temperatures in winter ethanol powered cars might have problems with cold starts. This problem can be solved by using an engine heater system.
The heat from an engine heater system can help the engine perform to its maximum. The engine heater system does wonders when it comes to getting the most efficient use out of ethanol. As for delivering more power at better fuel efficiencies, one type of ethanol-powered car stands out from the rest. Engines with dual fuel direct injection technology that can run on pure alcohol and gasoline.
