Study: fuel consumption - E10 vs E5 (.7% difference)

[Daox]

A research center in Finland recently did a study on the efficiency penalty of going from E5 fuel to E10 fuel. They had reports of huge drops in mileage (sound familiar?) from going to E10. While the fuel consumption penalty does differ from engine to engine. The average penalty is a measly .7%. I can't imagine there being a much larger penalty to go to E15.

The study involved six gasoline-driven cars loaned by VTT employees. The cars were of model years between 1999 and 2010 and, according to their manufacturers’ recommendations, compatible with E10-fuel.

Green Car Congress: VTT study finds no significant difference in car fuel consumption between E10 and E5

[kir_kenix]

Yeah I live in Nebraska where e10-e85 (we have blender pumps here) is widely available. I work in an automotive store, and I hear all kinds of crazy stuff about ethanol. People parroting what their great uncle told them from the early 80's (I think they called it gasahol back then). Crazy stuff.

Stuff that is just plain wrong: like we're going to run out of corn or something (go tour a ethanol plant...they sell feedstock from the "left over" that very nearly equals their input [remember they only need the starches + enzymes are added to convert that to alchohol]). Plus most of the newer e-plants are starting to remove the corn-oil at the same time (not sure what the yield is), that gets used as bio-diesel.

Truth is, for 90+% of people, they don't lose enough mileage to hardly notice, and those of us that do notice save enough at the pump to make it worth while. Ethanol might not be the ultimate solution to our fuel use, hydrogen and electric cars are, but it sure helps right now with the existing infastructure.

I think e-15 or e20 will be mandated by most mid-western states in the next few years. Only down side is that all those tax breaks and substities never actually make it to the end user. e-15 should be something like 26 cents cheaper/gallon then 87, but its usally around 10 cents different here.

I honestly can't see an excuse NOT to use ethanol blended fuel.

[TheEnemy]

Of the 4 cars we have only one showed any kind of difference, and its a Nissan. It decreased by 8% from e0 to e10 which is semi-consistant with their data.

I am showing a slight problem with one of the O2 sensors though so it might be a coincidence, or something about the ethanol finished off a then 9 year old o2 sensor.

[euromodder]

IMHO, 6 cars from an 11 year span hardly qualifies as a study.
The chances of cherry picking - knowingly or accidentally - are simply too high.

Take the most common engines in the market, and test those.
That could easily remove 4 manufacturers from that list.

[Old Tele man]

...better still, simply A-B-A test one vehicle on a dyno (controlled load) and see what results you get!

...then, repeat identical dyno test on other vehicles, and then compare the results.

[Daox]

They did their testing on a dyno.