Ethanol Car

The ethanol car is quickly becoming quite popular.

There is intense pressure in the US to to be a substitute for oil imports with the help of hybrid cars that may help to provide the solution to energy alternatives and ethanol cars can play a major part visiting this area. Ethanol based fuel is here to stay and the US accounts for as many as five million Flexible Fuel Vehicles that can run on unleaded fuel as well as blended ethanol gasoline known as E85.

The ethanol car is becoming popular due to the constant  price increases of traditional gasoline and an increased awareness of the environment. Ethanol is most commonly used visiting a compound known as E10, which is 10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline and usually no adjustment is required for a car's engine to burn this mixture. However be sure to check with your local garage before changing to ethanol.

It is now up to the larger manufacturers such as Ford and General Motors to come forward and lead the way by building more Eco friendly cars such as the ethanol car and not be totally dependent on fuel imports from the Middle East to power their vehicles. In this direction, Ford has unveiled its ethanol-hybrid SUV and the E85 consuming hybrid Ford Escape that is a part of Ford’s development program which may give to the consumer ethanol cars such as these, sooner rather than later.

However, to manufacture ethanol cars there is need for more plans to be in place and with the technology being available there is no reason why it should not be implemented visiting order to cut down on our needs for oil imports. Both Ford and General Motors have promised to design and build more ethanol cars or at least, flexible fuel vehicles especially as they point out that the US can save a barrel of oil for every 37 gallons of E85 being used.

A stronger demand is needed to pressurize manufacturers to build the ethanol car.

A novel ethanol car is the Lotus Exige 265E which, according to its manufacturer is the fastest ethanol car that weighs 2,050 pounds and runs on E85 fuel and can output 265 horsepower at 8000 rpm. This ethanol car can reach 60 miles per hour in less than four seconds and hundred miles per hour at less than ten seconds, having a top speed of 158 mph. Though, at present, this car will only run on ethanol, there is work under way at the manufacturers to develop this ethanol car into being able to run on different fuel types instead of on just E85.

Finally, at today's petroleum prices, ethanol is looking more attractive. Besides the economic savings another attraction of low a concentration of ethanol is its inherent safety, and most cars will run on fuel blends of up to ten percent ethanol, however, for cars to run on higher blends they will require a few modifications. One big focus would be to get car company's to make more cars that will run on a mix of eighty five percent ethanol and only fifteen percent fossil fuel.