E85
A high-ethanol gasoline blend for flex fuel vehicles. Cheaper per gallon and lower in energy, so the saving is smaller than the pump price suggests.
E85 is a gasoline blend containing ethanol up to 83%, for use in flexible fuel vehicles built to run on any mix of the two. A flex fuel vehicle runs equally well on ordinary gasoline, which is why agencies can and do buy them without any decision being made about fuel.
The number that matters is energy, not price per gallon. Denatured ethanol contains roughly 30% less energy per gallon than gasoline, so a vehicle on E85 burns more gallons to cover the same distance. A fuel that is cheaper at the pump and consumed faster can still cost more per mile, and cost per mile is the comparison worth making before a program is judged.
The common public-sector pattern is a fleet that owns flex fuel vehicles and never buys the fuel. They were bought because they were on the contract, or because they counted toward an alternative fuel commitment, and then no E85 dispenser existed within a sensible distance. Counting those vehicles as an alternative fuel program without checking what actually goes into them overstates the position considerably.
On Modern Public Fleet
- Fuel Price Report: Diesel Climbs to $6.28 as Gasoline Slips to $4.42
- Fuel Price Report: Diesel at $6.18 as Wholesale Diesel Falls 29 Cents in a Week
- Fuel Price Report: Diesel Falls 18 Cents to $6.20 but Still Runs $2.49 Above Last Year
- Fuel Price Report: Diesel Falls 15 Cents to $6.38 and Still Runs 70% Above Last Year
Sources
- U.S. Department of Energy, Alternative Fuels Data Center retrieved 2026-09-09