E85 Retrofit Project: Getting Started, Choosing a Retrofit Kit

by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Once we decided to go forward with the E85 conversion, Bob Kozak researched options for retrofitting my bright yellow 2002 Ford Focus ZX3. He decided that the kit offered by Fuel Flex International would probably meet our needs.

Since we were approaching this as an educational project of Advanced Biofuels USA, we asked Alex Conger, CEO of Fuel Flex International to donate a kit for these purposes.

After some discussion (I think he wanted to be sure Advanced Biofuels USA was legit and would really follow through on our proposal), he agreed to contribute in this way. Or, he was reconsidering the possible down side of our plan to write and film our experiences with his product. As Kozak points out in his article, Walking the Walk in Advanced Biofuels USA’s “E30 and Beyond Retrofitted” Focus, Conger must have a lot of confidence in his system.

I was glad that Kozak's technical preferences landed with a company that not only sells E85 retrofit kits, but E98 racing fuel, as well.

Advanced Biofuels USA is one of the few organizations that covers green racing. From the 2006-era Green Racing Protocols developed by the US Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, SAE International, and several automotive industry leaders, to the transition of NASCAR to E15, IndyCar to E85 and LeMans to E20, Advanced Biofuels USA serves as a resource of articles as well as in-person coverage.

We see racing as a test bed for new fuels, for demonstration of how engines and fuels can work together to increase efficiency and performance while lowering life cycle greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality.

Alex Conger and the folks at Fuel Flex International also shared our belief about the value of green racing as a way to show the world the benefits of ethanol; specifically, to educate people who know engines, people who are respected by their peers and who are sought-after by family and friends as experts, about the technical advantages of ethanol as a fuel.

In addition to spreading the word on the race track and through online sales and support of E85 retrofit kits, Conger also appeared in PUMP the Movie explaining the value of ethanol as a fuel and the difference between vehicles that have flex fuel and non flex fuel versions.

We received the kit at a most propitious time for evangelizing about ethanol, while Kozak was meeting with a friend on a totally unrelated topic. The colleague expressed some skepticism about using ethanol as a fuel and they diverted their meeting to talk about the benefits of ethanol's high octane rating enabling high compression ratios, its low heat of combustion (allowing engines to run cooler), and its value as a substitute for toxic aromatics in fuel.

We'll take any opportunity that presents itself to promote the values and benefits of transitioning to renewable transportation fuels, including extolling the benefits of high octane, high ethanol blends of fuel. Including mentioning the air quality benefits, thanks to organizations like the Urban Air Initiative, Ethanol Across America and the Clean Fuels Development Coalition.

Retrofitting an older car to use newer fuel isn't just about enhancing performance or reducing our carbon footprint. It provides an opportunity to talk about the benefits of renewable fuels to a wider audience. It's an avenue to helping people in the small piece of the world that we encounter during regular everyday activities better understand one solution to improving our environment.

Extra Bonus: Here's a video from a fellow who retrofitted a 2005 Kia Spectra to use E85--his results after 10,000 miles. And the 2016 update video from the same fellow using the conversion kit on a KIA Sorrento after about 76,000 miles.

*Joanne Ivancic is a co-founder of Advanced Biofuels USA and serves as executive director of this all-volunteer organization. Robert E. (Bob) Kozak is the founder of Atlantic Biomass, LLC, and a co-founder of Advanced Biofuels USA. Having worked for about 40 years in the transportation, energy, environmental, and government relations industries and in enzyme development, he serves as a fuels/engines and policy expert for Advanced Biofuels USA. He can be reached at atlanticbiomass @ aol.com