Myth-Buster or Warranty-Buster? Nebraska Ethanol Test Will Push beyond Auto Manufacturers' Specs

by Joe Duggan (Omaha World-Herald Bureau) Nebraska literally put the rubber to the road more than 40 years ago to give ethanol a shot of much-needed street cred. It was called the “Nebraska 2 Million Mile Gasohol Road Test Program.” It began on Dec. 23, 1974, when a roads department supervisor filled his state-owned Dodge Coronet with 17.1 gallons of gasoline blended with 10 percent corn-derived ethanol.

By the time that Coronet and other state vehicles logged their 2 millionth mile powered by gasohol, Nebraska had proven the fuel was viable.

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Now Nebraska is gearing up to do it again.

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Gov. Pete Ricketts announced last week that he’s offering 50 state vehicles for a new pilot project to run on gasoline containing either 30 percent or 15 percent ethanol. But instead of cars and trucks with the flex-fuel technology that accommodates higher concentrations of ethanol, the state vehicles in the project are all equipped with conventional engines.

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To find out, engineering consultants from UNL will help scientifically measure the effects of the higher ethanol blends. They will measure fuel cost per mile, engine performance, maintenance and other factors.

Drivers, including a few troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol, are to note anything unusual or concerning about vehicle performance while behind the wheel. And special logging devices will be hooked to the on-board computers of some of the vehicles to collect additional data.

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Since 2012, many automakers have said E-15 is suitable for new models.

Todd Sneller, former administrator for the Ethanol Board and an adviser on the new pilot project, said he’s confident the state cars and trucks will run just fine on E-15 and E-30. He pointed to a similar road test not long ago in Watertown, South Dakota, where the fuel was used in non-flex fuel vehicles.

Andy Wicks, a mechanic who monitored the performance of vehicles in the Watertown test, said the fuel worked well in cars and trucks as old as 2001. He said there were no mechanical failure or check-engine lights reported during the test, and fuel economy was comparable.

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Nonetheless, if damage linked to higher ethanol fuels occurs in any of the state vehicles in the Nebraska road test, the ethanol sponsors have agreed to cover the cost of repairs, Sneller said.

It’s sort of like a backup warranty. READ MORE