El Cid

US EPA is going to require that ALL service stations provide E85 ethanol. They will have option of continuing to provide current E90. This would mean seven underground tanks and seven different pumps including diesel.
Very few retailers are going to invest the money to provide this many tanks and this many different pumps, IF they even have the room.
How many distributors are going to hire enough drivers and buy enough additional tank trucks to support that many different deliveries?
Contact your US senator and Congressmember to pass a law mandating that ALL service stations provide BOTH E90 and E85. The agri-business and ethanol lobbies are too powerful to stop the E85 mandate.

HBerman

It's E10 and E15, not E85 and E90!

El Cid

Stations that sell E85 around here all refer to it on their signs as E85. Also, have seen owners manuals refer to it as E85. However, E10 and E15 is more accurate.
I did make up E90 for simplicities sake. Pumps around here all say "may contain up to 10% ethanol."
Just checked Operator's Manual for my '10 E350. Says up to 10% ethanol may be used.
Regardless, only Congress can stop the forthcoming abuse of our vehicles-and the need to mix stabilizers with fuels in some vehicles and all outdoor and marine engines.

HBerman

E85 is 85% ethanol. If the pump says E85, then the car has to be also say E85 to be compatibile. What do you propose to do? The EPA conducted extensive tests of 15% ethanol mixtures with no ill affects on the vehicles in the study. I find it interesting that the C300 says E85 can be used (3.0 Liter V6), but not the C350 nor the E350. Ethanol attacks rubber and plastic parts in the fuel system. Do you think that MB uses different fuel parts for the 3.0 V6 vs. the 3.5 V6? I think that it's all a matter of testing. There's no issue on fuel stabilization under normal circumstances. A fuel stabilizer needs to be used for either a pure gasoline or ethanol/gasoline mixture for long-term storage.

clkwork

OK I'm confused... you want a law requiring E10, E15, and E85? Or was that just E10 and E15? If we're going to pass legislation why not pass a law allowing gas stations to sell whatever they choose.

The only place I want to see E85 is in my liquor cabinet.

El Cid

US EPA has already passed regulation that ALL stations must provide 15% ethanol. They may continue to sell 10% ethanol if they choose to.
My position is that we need for US Congress to require that they sell both 15 and 10% ethanol. Otherwise, we will have to use the 15% ethanol as practically no stations will provide six different types of gasolines on their own. Perhaps they could drop mid-grade, but will they?
As I said before, the manual for my 2010 E350 says I can use up to 10% ethanol.

clkwork

Yea I don't see that happening. Like you said about the tanks and pumps and deliveries, it's not cost effective for them to sell both. If they must provide 15% and they only have the tanks and pumps to support one type then that's what it's going to be unfortunately.