The Dish > Corn in Our Cars
Corn in Our Cars
By Andy Steinke
University of Minnesota researchers recently released the results of a 13-month study determining the viability of E20 fuel—80 percent gasoline and 20 percent ethanol—for use in cars. Researchers found the blend doesn’t obstruct the drivability or the maintenance of non-ethanol compatible cars and trucks.
The use of corn for E85 and other ethanol-laced fuels like E20, however, has contributed to the rising price of corn. The price for a bushel of corn has increased from about $2 per bushel to almost $6 per bushel. High demand for corn has in turn driven up the prices of other foods, especially grains, forcing farmers to find different crops to feed their animals.
Nationwide, ethanol production increased 32 percent from 2006 to 2007, reaching 6.48 billion gallons, according to the U.S. Energy Department’s Energy Information Administration. In 2006, Minnesota farmers grew 1.13 billion bushels of corn, about 15 percent of which was used to make ethanol. By the end of 2008, Minnesota is expected to use 27 percent of its corn crop to make ethanol-based fuels.
E10 is currently the most common fuel blend used in the United States, but according to Minnesota law, 20 percent of the state’s fuel supply must be E20 by August 2013. The law expires in 2010 if either E85 makes up 20 percent of gasoline sold in the state or federal approval is granted for the sale of E20 gasoline in Minnesota. The University of Minnesota study showed no significant differences between cars running on E20 and those running on E10. However, a 2004 Australian study showed that 40 percent of vehicles tested with E20 developed catalytic converter damage because of the higher ethanol fuel.