#3
Clean Cities Top 20 Facts
More than 2,600 U.S. fueling stations offer E85
U.S. production and use of ethanol as a vehicle fuel have increased dramatically during the past decade. In 2012, the United States produced more than 13 billion gallons of ethanol fuel. The vast majority is added to gasoline in blends up to E10 (10% ethanol, 90% gasoline) for use in conventional vehicles. But ethanol is increasingly available in higher-level blends, such as E85 (51% to 83% ethanol) for use in flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs). In Minnesota alone, some 343 stations dispensed more than 14 million gallons of E85 in 2012.*
By working with stakeholders in their communities, Clean Cities coalitions have played a key role in the growing use of ethanol as an alternative to petroleum. For example, coalitions reported that their stakeholders used more than 86 million gallons of E85 in 2012. Over the years, coalitions across the country have worked closely with fuel providers, fleets, and consumers to establish public infrastructure, such as the biofuels corridor
along Interstate 65 from Gary, Indiana, to Mobile, Alabama.
According to the Alternative Fueling Station Locator on the Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC), the number of E85 fueling stations (most of which are publicly accessible) nationwide grew from 37 in 1995 to more than 2,600 today. In the state of Iowa, the number of E85 stations has more than doubled since 2008, climbing from 67 to 183.
What about vehicles? In 2012, more than 10.6 million FFVs were on the road in the United States. In model year 2013, 84 light-duty flex-fuel vehicle models are available, according to the AFDC Light-Duty Vehicle Search.
For a success story about a fleet using E85, read the City of Hoover Fleet Boasts 200-Plus AFVs case study.
* Minnesota Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- For more information:
- Clean Cities Technical Response Service Team
- technicalresponse@icfi.com
- 800-254-6735