E85: Consumer Interest or Consumer Consistency?

The Des Moines Register recently reported slow sales of E85 (a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline), indicating a “lack of consumer interest.”

One could easily argue that this is not a question of consumer interest, but of consumer consistency. E85 sales have historically fluctuated according to gasoline prices. When gas prices are high, consumers with Flex Fuel vehicles are more likely to choose low-cost E85. But when the spread between gas and ethanol narrows, sales of E85 drop.

This inconsistency is exactly why this nation has been held over a barrel of oil for 40 years. When gas prices are high, U.S. motorists demand change. But when those prices come back down, America hits the snooze button again and the cycle continues.

We can no longer afford to continue down this path. In order to break our nation's dangerous and ever-growing dependence on foreign oil we need to cure our cars of their oil addiction.

How do we do that? It’s simple. Require auto manufacturers to make every new vehicle in the United States Flex Fuel and increase the number of Flex Fuel pumps that can offer a combination of gas and renewable fuels to consumers.

Each Flex Fuel vehicle gives consumers the option of filling up with domestic, homegrown renewable fuel and enhances our national security, all while creating U.S. jobs and greening our environment.

They also don't cost much more than your average car. As Pioneer Astronautics President Robert Zubrin says, "If installed at the time of manufacture, the inclusion of [the FFV] feature adds only about $100 to the cost of a typical car."

We must also increase the number of Flex Fuel pumps at retail stations in order to deliver higher blends of ethanol to these cars.

The USDA recently announced efforts to install up to 10,000 Flex Fuel pumps across the country in the next five years.

Flex Fuel pumps enable consumers to choose their fuel based on price, performance and preference. Consumers could choose E85 because they care about our national security. They could choose E30 if they want the best mileage, or they could fuel up with the blend that is the best value at the pump that day.

When it comes to our energy independence, a choice between conventional gasoline and E85 is not enough.

If we are truly going to realize our own nation’s energy security goals, we need to ensure that our entire vehicle fleet and fuel infrastructure are ready to use expanded U.S. ethanol production so that consumers can consistently have a choice at the pump that delivers economic, environmental and national security value.