Current Conditions
30°F - CLEAR
Two weeks ago, Jeff Shabbir discovered the gas he sells at his Terre Hill service station contained no ethanol.
That's when Shabbir decided to advertise "ETHANOL-FREE GAS" in block letters on the sign outside his Main Street store.
"My customers say they don't want gas with ethanol," Shabbir said recently.
So how did domestically produced corn ethanol, once the darling of alternative fuels, fall out of favor with his clientele?
"What happened was $4-per-gallon gas," Shabbir said. "People want better gas mileage, and ethanol doesn't deliver that."
Shabbir said customers report that ethanol-free gas provides a boost of up to five miles per gallon compared to E-10 fuel, the gasoline blended with 10 percent ethanol that is commonly sold at most gas stations in the state.
The U.S. Department of Energy believes the difference is less dramatic. It has stated it takes 1.03 gallons of E-10 for a vehicle to cover the same distance as a gallon of pure gasoline. But opinions vary on how much ethanol-free gas really delivers.
Ross DiBono, executive director of the Pennsylvania Gasoline Retailers Association, said it's a myth that motorists achieve significantly better gas mileage using ethanol-free gas.
"Besides that, refiners get a 5-cent-per-gallon tax credit for adding ethanol, so you have to factor in that you'll spend more money buying regular gas," DiBono said.Ron Horning of Terre Hill said ethanol-free gas yields about three extra miles per gallon in his older pickup truck and other later-model vehicles.
Horning purchases ethanol-free gas at Charlie's Fuel & Deli, 1634 W. Main St., Ephrata. The station eliminated high-test gasoline in favor of "pure gas," which sells for about 10 cents more per gallon compared to the E-10 fuel, which is also available at Charlie's.
Owner Charlie Rutt said many customers are confused about the merits of pure gas. Still, Rutt said about 15 percent of his gas sales are ethanol-free gas purchases, a figure that grows daily.
"People will drive out of their way to buy pure gas," Rutt said. "I'd estimate that customers say they get about a 30 percent increase in gas mileage."
John Jascoll of Manheim Township said he has tracked the mileage he gets from his 1999 Mercury Sable for several years and found his expenses rose dramatically when last year he could no longer find ethanol-free gas.
Jascoll said his gas mileage dropped from 25 mpg to 17 mpg after switching to E-10 gas. During the intervening year, when the price of gas rose about $1 per gallon, Jascoll said the cost of driving 10,000 miles leaped from $1,200 to $2,352, when he switched to E-10 fuel.
"How does a $1 increase in the price of gasoline over the past 12 months double the amount I spend on gas?" Jascoll asked.
Jascoll said he can't find ethanol-free fuel, certainly not at large convenience-store chains.
(403) (131) (83) (41) (7) (5) (3) (3) (3) (2)Most stations have complied ahead of time with Gov. Ed Rendell's 2006 mandate that all gas stations in the state sell gas containing at least 10 percent ethanol once in-state production of ethanol reaches 200 million gallons per year.
Scott Hartman, the chief executive officer of Rutters Farm Stores, said gas retailers can get ethanol-free gas if they want it. It's available at regional gasoline terminals in Mechanicsburg, Highspire, Spring Township and Lancaster (near Park City Center).
"Ethanol attracts and absorbs water; it is not blended at refineries," Hartman said. "Both ethanol and gas are stored at regional terminals and that is where the ethanol is blended or injected into the gasoline."
Echoing a sentiment documented in numerous Internet blogs, Horning believes the corn-based fuel is unhealthy for gas combustion engines.
"I believe pure gas definitely makes the engine run better," Horning said. "I think so, but some people will debate that."
Rutt said many of his customers say ethanol-free gas dulls the performance of power tools and lawnmowers.
"In the long run, you'll be much better off buying pure gas," Rutt said.
Despite that perception, Hartman said he's not interested in selling ethanol-free gas at Rutters' chain of more than 50 stores in York, Lancaster, Adams, Cumberland and Franklin counties.
He said ethanol-free gas likely would benefit gas sippers such as the Toyota Prius, which are typically owned by drivers who pay very close attention to gas mileage.
"But other cars will not see a noticeable difference," Hartman said. "I think the savings people get is more in their head than what actually happens on paper."
Hartman and DiBono both said people are probably confused by Internet stories about E-85 fuel, which contains only 15 percent gas and 85 percent ethanol.
"It's true that with E-85 you'll get only about 65 to 75 percent of mileage you'd get with a regular gasoline," DiBono said.
E-mail: pburns@lnpnews.com
