E15 not coming to gas stations anytime soon

Autoblog Staff — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 07:58:00 EST

With the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officially issuing its finalized E15 (gasoline with 15-percent ethanol content) warning label, there's widespread belief that the recently approved biofuel will be coming to gasoline stations soon. Well, it seems that's not likely to be the case. In fact, it won't take place for at least a year.

The Government Accountability Office says that health, safety, cost and environmental concerns will probably keep E15 away from the pumps for more than one year. The GOA claims that nozzles, underground storage tanks and other fuel-dispensing equipment will need to be evaluated prior to E15's arrival. The concern is that leakage, which isn't an issue with E10, could suddenly become a problem with E15.

The GAO continues by claiming that some fuel stations may have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to upgrade equipment in preparation for the arrival of E15. There is also the matter of an ongoing lawsuit that sees automakers trying to overturn the EPA's approval of the blended fuel along with a promise to void the warranties of vehicles with E15 found in their tanks. We'd guess E15 has a very long road ahead of it...

E15 not coming to gas stations anytime soon originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EPA delays decision on E15 use in 2001-2006 model-year vehicles

Autoblog Staff — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 07:58:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal

When the EPA approved the use of gasoline blended with 15 percent ethanol content (E15) for model year 2007 and newer vehicles in mid-October, critics immediately chimed in with a wave of concerns. Some argued that drivers would have a difficult time discerning which fuel to pump into their vehicles, while other were concerned that insufficient testing had been conducted by the EPA and urged retailers to limit the sale of E15 to flex fuel vehicles only. For nearly two years, the E15 battle has waged on, with supporters convinced that increased ethanol content would be suitable for all autos and opponents demanding more tests.

The E15 battle is far from over. The EPA's next move is determining whether or not the gasoline-ethanol blended fuel is acceptable for 2001 to 2006 model-year vehicles. The EPA's decision was initially expected to come in December, but due to some mechanical failures in test vehicles unrelated to the fueling system, the Energy Department will require more time to analyze E15 use in older vehicles and the EPA will be forced to push back its decision until January.

[Source: Reuters]

EPA delays decision on E15 use in 2001-2006 model-year vehicles originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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