Project Energy

by Terri Gruca
Minneapolis (WCCO) ― There's only one real way to drive home the differences between ethanol and gas -- to run a test. WCCO-TV borrowed two cars from White Bear Lake Superstore. Both were 2006 GMC Yukons with one sizable difference: one is flex fuel, the other is not.

With empty tanks we put 10 gallons of regular gasoline in the one and 10 gallons of E85 in the other.

Difference At The Pump

Gassing up with E85 cost us $4 less. We paid $29.69 for 10 gallons of regular gas, $25.69 for 10 gallons of E85.

We found two willing drivers -- WCCO-TV producers Paula Engelking and Joan Gilbertson. Engelking agreed to drive the regular gas car.

"Both cars have the same amount of gas so I'm curious as to which one will go farther," said Engelking.

Gilbertson agreed to drive the E85 car.

We made sure each car's settings were exactly the same, from the air conditioning to the radio. We then took the cars to the track.

Raceway Test

One lap around the Elko Motor Speedway equals three-eighths of a mile.

"I feel like I should have a little helmet on and the suit," said Engelking.

Traveling between 35 and 40 miles an hour was all we could safely do around this track, so we knew this test was going to take a while.

"It's pretty hard," said Gilbertson. "You're going in circles and you really start losing track how long you've been out here and how far you've gone."

This turned into a test of endurance not just for the cars, but for our producers.

"This is fun," said Engelking as she laughed. "I'm loving it! This is just really fun. I'm not a NASCAR type and I just feel like 'Oooh.' I'm just enjoying myself."

Gilbertson said, "This is definitely not on my list of favorite things to do."

After a few hours we decided to see how everyone was faring.

"I can't really tell the difference if this car is ethanol or not ethanol," said Gilbertson who was driving the E85 car. "This car is great, it handles nice. It has good get-up."

At this point the E85 car closed in on empty. The regular gas car steers closer to a quarter of a tank.

The Cars Run Out Of Gas

Back on the track and, after 392 laps, the E85 car runs out of fuel.

"Well there goes the gas gauge again. In case you're wondering -- we are now out of gas," said Gilbertson as the car came to a stop.

About 37 miles or 99 laps later, the regular car ran out of gas as well.

Why The Difference?

Energy Policy expert David Morris isn't surprised you have to burn more ethanol to go the same distance.

"The reason you get less miles per gallon is that you have less energy per gallon," said Morris. "Ethanol has about 30 percent less energy."

That is typically why you will find E85 costs about 15 percent to 20 percent less at the pump. So keep in mind you may be making more trips to the gas station.

But Morris said you should consider other factors like the environment.

He said E85 may give you fewer miles, but it also runs cleaner because it contains less gas and also contains oxygen, which helps to reduce hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions that come from your tailpipe.

Where Does The Money Go?

Then there's the factor of where your money ends up.

"When you fill up with ethanol in Minnesota 85- to 90-cents of that dollar stays within a hundred miles of where you fill up," said Morris. "And if you fill up with gasoline, then 85 to 90-cents of that dollar goes outside of Minnesota. A significant part of that goes outside of the country."

Costs Broken Down

Remember the E85 cost us $4 dollars less. If you break down the numbers, running the big SUV on ethanol cost 17-cents a mile, running it on gas 16-cents a mile -- only a penny difference.

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