Sheetz Chain Lowers Price for E15 Gas to $3.99 for July 4 Travel and E85 Has Been Marked Down to $3.49
(AutoBlog) Sheetz, a convenience store chain, has lowered the price of gas for the July 4 holiday weekend to $3.99 for a gallon of 88-octane regular. Note that Sheetz’ Unleaded 88 is a blend of 85% gasoline and 15% ethanol. Sheetz says (scroll to the bottom of the FAQ page): “E15 is gasoline blended with 15 percent ethanol, giving drivers a better, more affordable choice at the pump. It’s a high-performance fuel that increases horsepower while burning cleaner and cooler than regular gasoline and according to the EPA, any car 2001 or newer can benefit from using it. It reduces harmful emissions and contains fewer toxic additives all while decreasing the need for foreign oil.”
If you have a vehicle capable of using ethanol blends as high as E85 (85% ethanol and 15% gasoline), the price for the biofuel-heavy blend has been set at $3.49.
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Sheetz operates over 600 stores in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio and Maryland. The price cut will be effective through the July 4 weekend. Click here to find out if there’s a Sheetz location near you or anywhere you may be traveling this holiday weekend.
Be sure to check the guidance on the inside of your gas flap, or your owner’s manual, to see whether either formulation is acceptable in your vehicle. And if they are acceptable to use, then to borrow the company’s slogan, then why the Sheetz not? READ MORE
Is it safe to use the Unleaded 88 or Flex Fuel at Sheetz in my car? Expert says it depends (Akron Beacon Journal/The Independent)
Sheetz cuts price of E15, E85 for 4th of July (Ethanol Producer Magazine)
RFA Applauds Sheetz for Bold E15 and Flex Fuel Promotion (Renewable Fuels Association)
Excerpt from Akron Beacon Journal/The Independent: The U.S. EPA says Unleaded 88 can be used in vehicles that are newer than 2001.
It should be noted that auto manufactures of some higher-end vehicles recommend only using mid range and premium gas.
As for the E85, it should only be used in vehicles that are specifically marked — typically on the gas cap or on the side of the vehicle or on the trunk — that it is FlexFuel compatible.
The irony is among the 22 million FlexFuel-rated vehicles on the road today, most owners still use the more expensive mainstream fuels.
“There are a lot of these vehicles that have never even seen that fuel,” said Robert White, vice president for industry relations for the Renewable Fuels Association.
It should be noted that in many states — Ohio included — ethanol is already mixed in the typical three typical grades of gas found at most stations.
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The EPA, he said, used the cutoff of 2001 for Unleaded 88 for the recommended use in vehicles and SUVs because there were too many variables like mileage, types of use, state of repair to be able to fairly evaluate whether higher ethanol added into the gas impacted an older vehicle’s performance.
Since its introduction in 2012, White said, vehicles in the U.S. have motored some 55 billion miles on ethanol-enhanced fuel whether the consumer was aware of it or not. READ MORE
