E85

When we were in Denver, I noticed that some of the gas stations sell E85. E85 is a motor vehicle fuel that is 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. The ethanol is made from corn which is grown domestically.

Not all cars can use E85, but some can. Some cars are manufactured as “flex fuel” vehicles which can run on regular unleaded gasoline or E85.

According to http://www.e85refueling.com, there are five E85 stations within Maryland that are open to the public. The closest one to Baltimore is 28 miles away in Annapolis, MD. There is one in Annapolis, one in Greenbelt, one in Frederick, and two in Rockville. There are closer stations, but they are only available to the government. So if you live in Baltimore, there is basically no way you can use E85.

In Colorado there are 52 E85 stations. There are three in Denver and several others not far outside Denver.

Why don’t we have this in Baltimore? A gallon of E85 was only $2.79 vs. over $4.00 for regular unleaded.

Maybe the problem is shipping, since I guess most of the corn is grown in the Midwest.