Retail gasoline marketers are taking on a new mantra these days, "to ethanol or not to ethanol," as consumers decide whether the renewable fuel is best for anything from a Mini Cooper to a tractor.
While the
"We wanted to make ourselves different in this [region]," said one Pennsylvania-based gasoline distributor/marketer, who for more than a year has been increasing his advertising of ethanol-free gasoline.
Although the federal guidelines mandate overall ethanol use, there is no specific requirement for each batch of gasoline.
The quest for differentiation and meeting the needs of customers is a high priority for some retailers who say that despite being in a business of pennies, they are willing to be different.
"Everyday we cannot be the lowest price on the street....but that is fine as long as the consumer is educated," said the distributor who added that ethanol blended gasoline lacks the fuel efficiency of conventional or "clear" ethanol-free gasoline.
Matt Hartwig, a spokesman from the Renewable Fuels Association - the ethanol trade organization -- rejected those claims and stated: "At a 10% blend, ethanol has a negligible impact on mileage, as the American Petroleum Institute will tell you. And, all vehicle manufacturers warranty the use of 10% blends for all their vehicles," he said. "It is time for these myths to end and for people to get the facts correct."
At Growth Energy, also a pro-ethanol lobbying group, spokeswoman Stephanie Dreyer said her group has found no difference in the driveability and durability of using gasoline with 10% ethanol blended. In fact, Growth Energy is pushing a move to 15% ethanol and it is under consideration in Washington.
Still,
states across the
"It's the largest but it's not much of a big [growing] trend," Eichberger said of the use of non-ethanol gasoline. "There is more of a trend toward renewable fuel because it is politically sensitive."
Some reetailers are sticking firmly to their offer of non-ethanol gasoline for their customers. And websites are sending consumers to those places.
The
website
www.pure-gas.org,
started by a man named Sam Hokin, is dedicated to listing gas
stations in the
Hokin states on this site: "Many cars, motorcycles, boats, aircraft and tools have engines that...have parts that deteriorate, when run on gasoline that contains ethanol. In addition, ethanol leaves residue on valves and other parts that can hinder performance."
The Pennsylvania-based gasoline distributor agreed: "In ethanol gasoline, water doesn't separate and can create issues," he said. "With conventional gas the water goes to the bottom. With ethanol it creates problems with smaller engines like lawnmowers."
But even
for distributors and marketers who want the choice for their
consumers, it is getting harder to find supplies of ethanol-free
gasoline. "Refiners are not offering clear gasoline to customers
and that has led to litigation in
In the US Northeast, the Buckeye Pipeline, which supplies gasoline to that region as well as the US Midwest, is examining the possibility of ending its shipment of conventional gasoline via its pipeline.
"We get Valero products with no ethanol now, but that is going to change," the distributor said, adding that although he is not aware of a drop-dead date for the change to the pipeline, he has made changes to his service stations already. "I've taken down the signage. I will sell [ethanol-free gasoline] until it's not available to me anymore," he said.
Valero spokesman Bill Day said his company has made statements in the past that "it's best to leave the decision up to the marketplace" on whether retailers sell non-ethanol gasoline. Valero is now a leading producer of ethanol and owns 10 plants in the Midwest that produce 1.1 billion gallons/year of ethanol.
Whether service stations and their customers are anti-ethanol, options in certain states appear to be slimming down. How long ethanol-free options are available, market experts say, is the question.
