A while back I had the chance to buy a “flex fuel” vehicle at a good price. Since the concept of dual fuel vehicles was relatively new, it seemed natural to do a little research on “alternative” vehicle choice. I soon found out that Japanese manufacturers like Toyota and Honda were leading the field in the production of high-mileage, low polluting vehicles.

These “alternative” fuel saving vehicles fell into two categories. The category that the Japanese manufacturers favored is what auto writers and dealers call a “hybrid” vehicle. The other chief category was called the “flexible fuel” vehicle. One of the best known examples of the “flex fuel” breed was the Ford Taurus, a car very popular with fleet operators. I was surprised to learn that, just as the Japanese led the pack in the production of “hybrids”, American manufacturers led the field in the production of “flex fuel” vehicles.

In practical terms, a “flex fuel” vehicle is one that runs on a mix of roughly 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. This reduces pollution and diminishes reliance on Middle Eastern oil importation, a factor which would seem to benefit the economy as well as America’s foreign policy. While other bio-fuels like methanol can be put to the same purpose, ethanol production has moved to the forefront because it can be produced by America’s farmers. Ethanol’s main ingredient is corn. In the American Midwest there is corn and lots of it. Government support for American farmers in corn and ethanol production, plus increasing demand for the fuel, has been a chief reason corn futures are trading higher on the U.S. commodities exchanges. Another reason is the large oil companies have been buying most of the ethanol produced in the U.S. to get federal tax credits. The big oil companies have long been using ethanol as an additive in regular gasoline, at a mix of about 10%.

There are other vegetable sources for ethanol production and other countries which produce it. Brazil leads the world in ethanol energy production. Brazil produces its own ethanol supplies from sugar cane in a process that is even more energy efficient than producing it from corn. The U.S., however, doesn’t have much in the way of sugar cane. There are other arguments and controversies which may apply to ethanol production for U.S. energy needs. However, I am looking at the situation from the point of view of a consumer. I have a car. I thought it was a great idea to buy a car that was less polluting and would help reduce U.S. reliance on foreign oil. Until I tried to find a gas station that sells E-85, the mixture most commonly used in “duel-fuels” vehicles.

A simple web search will turn up a number of websites which contain a tool designed to help the consumer locate the nearest E-85 gas station. To be clear, the E-85 gas stations are the same ones that sell gasoline produced by all the big oil companies. The trouble is that many of America’s 170,000 gas stations are franchised by giant oil companies like Exxon, Mobil, BP, and others. These giant companies impose rules upon the franchise owners which do not exactly encourage sale of a competing product. Big oil companies are understandably protective of their brands. But without support from consumers, the franchises and independent owners are not greatly enthusiastic about digging up their properties and installing separate tanks and pumps. Moreover, the signs advertising the price of E-85 (if there are any) must be separate and apart from those advertising the standard petrol gas prices.

I live in Pennsylvania. I made use of a web tool to find the nearest E-85 station. I was in luck! There were three that were only 70 miles away, three more that were eighty plus miles away, and another that was only 104 miles away. That was a tremendous inducement for me to buy the “dual-fuel” vehicle, save the environment, help American farmers, turn up the heat on hostile Middle Eastern governments, and save money in the process.

In the end, I bought a conventional gas guzzling American car. The hybrids produced by Honda and Toyota were ingenious vehicles but were out of my price range. Ironically, the Wikipedia website contains a list of film stars and other celebrities who are Prius owners. For me, the price was just too much to pay merely to salve my conscience. Financially, it seemed smarter to put the money into housing. In the end, at least, you still have a house. The flexible fuel vehicle still has a special place in my heart. Since flexible fuel vehicles run on conventional fuels as well as E85, I could have bought one and waited. And waited.