As prices for crude oil and gasoline remain at or near historically high levels, ethanol made from Iowa corn looks better all the time. Christi VanderVoort is Iowa coordinator for a group that promotes the high-ethanol blend known as “E-85.” There are 18 stations selling it right now in Iowa, and 11 “pending,” she says, adding she gets calls from co-ops, band-name gas station owners and independent operators all asking about getting E-85 because their customers are asking about it. Vander Voort says a lot of cars and trucks on the road today are ready to burn the high-ethanol blend, and the owners might not even know it. They’re called “flexible-fuel vehicles,” and come straight from the manufacturer ready to burn regular gas, E-85, or any fuel mixture up to 85-percent ethanol. There are several ways to find out if you’re already driving a flexible-fuel vehicle. Call the dealership where you bought the vehicle, check the owner’s manual, look for a sticker inside the fuel door, or visit the E-85 website. The group’s website, www-dot-E85-dot-com, has a list showing how your Vehicle Identification, or VIN number, tells whether the vehicle can burn the high-ethanol fuel. Ethanol’s not going to go away, she points out. Iowans know that the renewable product starts with corn, she says…and Iowa’s not only the nation’s number-one corn producing state, she says it’s now the number-one producer of ethanol. All around it’s a good deal, because we can keep our corn in the state and build a market for the ethanol made from it. For locations near you that sell E-85, see the group’s website, e85fuel-dot-com.
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