Advanced BioFuels USA

by Tony Markovich (The Drive) … Flex Fuel Vehicles (FFV) have spread throughout the automotive industry during the past 20 years and offer customers a fuel choice other than traditional gasoline. It’s not a hybrid or an electric car, but it’s something, and every little something can help. Read The Drive’s Garage Guide to Flex Fuel to learn what it is, how it’s used, where it comes from, and its positives and negatives. Let’s get to it.

What Is Flex Fuel?

Flex Fuel, also known as E85, is a fuel mixture made of gasoline and between 51-83 percent ethanol. E85 can only be used in Flex Fuel vehicles that have been specifically designed to use this type of fuel.

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E15 is a different level of blended fuel that uses gasoline and 10.5-15 percent ethanol. In June 2011, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved blends of 15 percent ethanol in gasoline for use in model year 2001 and newer passenger cars, light trucks, and medium-duty vehicles. One benefit is that ethanol is a cheap way to boost octane. 

Any Flex Fuel vehicles or vehicles 2001 model year and newer are approved to use E15. Motorcycles, heavy-duty vehicles such as school buses and delivery trucks, powersport and motorsport vehicles such as boats and snowmobiles, equipment such as lawnmowers, and vehicles older than 2001 are not approved to use E15.

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What Is a Flex Fuel Vehicle?

A Flex Fuel Vehicle (FFV) is a vehicle that has been specifically designed to drive using E85 fuel. FFVs are similar to common gasoline vehicles, aside from a few altered parts, and many FFVs can optionally run on regular gasoline making them easier to live with day in and day out.

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Look for these three things to determine whether or not you have a flex fuel vehicle.

• Badges on the exterior, or less often, interior
• A label on the inside of the fuel door
• A yellow fuel cap or yellow ring around the fuel filler.

Or, look in the car’s manual. 

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The First Flex Fuel Vehicle

Technically, the first FFV was Henry Ford’s Model T in 1908, as it used an adjustable carburetor and could run on gasoline, ethanol, or both. From a modern standpoint, however, one of the first Flex Fuel vehicles that could run on E85 was the mid-to-late ‘90s Ford Taurus, following Ford’s experimental M85 methanol-powered vehicles.

Current Flex Fuel Vehicles

A few examples of new vehicles with an FFV option include the 2020 Ford Transit Connect Transit Wagon LWB, 2020 Chevrolet Impala, 2020 Ford F-150, 2019 Ford Escape, 2019 Chrysler 300, 2019 Mercedes-Benz CLA240 4MATIC, as well as several other Fords, Chevrolets, GMCs, Toyotas, Nissans, Rams, and Dodges.

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What Is the Benefit Of a Flex Fuel Vehicle?

The main benefit of a flex fuel vehicle is that a majority of its content comes from a renewable source. A secondary benefit is a slight increase in torque. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory details more on the results of E85 usage in its report, “Effects of High Octane Ethanol Blends on Four Legacy Flex Fuel Vehicles and a turbocharged GDI engine.”  READ MORE  includes VIDEO