One major reason for concern is that modern cars sense the amount of oxygen in the exhaust and use that measurement to modify the fuel/air mixture going into the cylinders. This works fine for straight gasoline. But the ethanol molecule contains an oxygen atom, and that may confuse the sensor into making the mixture too lean; lean engines produce exhaust hot enough to damage catalytic converters, industry experts say, and may also produce more nitrogen oxides, an ingredient of smog.That is just wrong. If the oxygen sensor sees too much oxygen, it will make the mixture more RICH. Because oxygen in the exhaust means the engine is running lean.
“There’s a lot to worry about,” he said. “All a consumer has to do is look at the fuels section of the owner’s manual, which says that the use of fuel above 10 percent ethanol may result in denial of warranty claims.” ...BS- There are not 250 million vehicles on the road that are under warranty. We don't know why they put that in the manual, or if it really is in ALL manuals. I know it is in SOME manuals. It also says *MAY*. They would have to prove that the e15 caused the problem.
“What the ethanol people are asking the consumer to do is bear the risk. If only 1 percent of the vehicles on the road today had E15-related problems, that would be about 2.5 million vehicles.” ...
existing pumps are not certified by Underwriters Laboratories as safe for use with E15 — and U.L., which certifies the safety of a wide range of products, says it will not provide that certification.What do you expect them to say? They tested the pumps to see if they were safe when used with E10. They found that they were. They did not test them with E15, so they aren't certified for that.
John Drengenberg, U.L.’s consumer safety director, said previous testing showed that the existing pumps were safe for up to 15 percent ethanol. But U.L. will not guarantee them for 1 percent more, he said.
That means E15 certification cannot be given because there can be slight variations in the mixture of gas and ethanol, Mr. Drengenberg said — E15 might actually include 16 percent ethanol. “It cannot ever be said that this is exactly 15 percent.”
Furthermore, while U.L. says 15 percent ethanol would be acceptable, it cannot retroactively and officially certify the existing pumps for dispensing E15, a spokesman, Joseph Hirschmugl, said.
When it comes to ethanol, price, fuel economy and engine performance matter to lots of American drivers. The ethanol industry fights hard to shape public opinion of the fuel, and it has now found a new way to get its message across in a partnership with NASCAR.Part of a series of reports on ethanol that also includes: Fuel Vs. Food: Ethanol Helps Boost Meat Prices and Ethanol Gets A Boost; Will It Return The Favor?
For example, at a constant temperature of 100 degrees F and relative humidity of 100%, it would take well over 200 days to saturate one gallon of gasoline in an open gasoline can (assuming the only source of water is water vapor from the air).Please show us the vehicle with a gasoline tank that maintains a constant 100F temperature. In the real world vehicles are subject to dramatic changes in temperature and humidity. Water vapor might condense under these conditions and cause fuel stability issues; it's not addressed in your citation so don't pretend it doesn't matter.
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posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 5:52 PM on December 22, 2010