LOSS OF FUEL ECONOMY

... in E-85, a blend containing 85 percent ethanol that can be used in specially equipped vehicles, the energy loss soars and more than offsets its lower cost, even though E-85 is about 60 cents per gallon less at retail than conventional gas:

• Mileage can suffer by about 25 percent with E-85, according to AAA.
• Over the course of a year, that amounts to an extra 300 gallons of E-85 to go the same distance as when using conventional gas.
• That means an average household, when the total cost of conventional gas and E-85 are compared, would spend nearly $100 more per year for E-85.

To those that have the flex-fuel vehicles that can use the fuel, it's tempting to purchase E-85 because at first glance it appears to be a great deal compared with conventional gasoline. But at least for now, it isn't.

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