Topic: E85 Stations in Maryland

[jdp71164]

I just checked prices of the only two E85 "Public" stations in Maryland.  The E85 station in Gaithersburg is $3.19/gal, and the Annapolis E85 station is $3.09/gal.  I am not a government employee, so I don?t have access to the other (7) E85 stations in Maryland.

E85 is much cheaper to produce, so why does it cost nearly the same as gasoline?  Additionally, all vehicles running on E85 use 1.4 times fuel/gal than regular gasoline.  My F-150 only gets around 9.8 mpg using E85, versus 13.9 on regular gasoline.  Therefore, I spend more money on Ethanol, than gasoline.

Please let me know if there are other E85 "Public" stations in Maryland, thanks!!

[DragonWhip]

Well Put, Larry.

[hotrod]

Shouldn't that be the job of our elected officials in Maryland?

You might think so but there are multiple issues that prevent it.

1. Elected officials MUST cater to their major constituancies.
2. They judge who their constituencies are by phone calls and letters. (I used to work in state govt.)
They generally put great weight on a hand written letters and personal phone calls that make a logical and rational case for a position. The assumption is that for each person that takes the time to write a letter or make phone call, perhaps 10 - 20 others feel the same way.

Maybe the question is, why aren't we writing letters and making phone calls to the elected officials and presenting the case that the anti biofuels deluge is BS and in many case is totally wrong (as in  180 degrees out from reality).

So my answer would be --- after you finish calling your local E85 outlet, call your elected representatives offices and tell them the same thing. In a rational logical way explain to them that the anti-biofuel rhetoric is simply a scape goat for other issues, and in almost all cases is wrong. If necessary, point them to forums like this, where they can get a view of the grass roots view on fuel ethanol and other bio fuels without the smoke screen from paid lobbyists and commercial operations that have a vested interest in blaming others for the problems they are creating.

Look what public pressure did to the Nuclear industry! It completely stalled a viable billion dollar,  non-polluting solution to our energy problems just as it was getting off the ground, because no one spoke up with a counter point to all the negative myths and misinformation they put out. They played on peoples fears and used red herring arguments looking for "perfect solutions" to complex problems (like waste storage) before they would do anything constructive.

We as a constituency, need to flood the desks of our elected officials with messages that we will hold them responsible if they piss away another 30 years by blocking bio fuels that should have been vigorously developed as Brazil did, back in the early 1980's.

They need a reality check that people are getting sick and tired of being pushed into a corner by big oil and other large corporations just to protect their bottom line. They made this mess over the last century and it is time they paid their fair share for the solution.

I for one, am fed up with EPA mandates that make it impossible/illegal for me to cut my emissions by 30% and my fuel bill by over $600 a year because they are too stupid or lazy to come up with a results based emissions system. I am also sick and tired of paying other nations to skin us alive.

One of the reasons the food shortage has cropped up, is that millions of people in China and India are using our money we send them for cheap off shore goods and services ( IT outsourcing , call centers for help desks etc.) to buy into a modern life style while their governments have made little effort to make their own farming system capable of delivering food at world class efficiencies as the U. S. farmer has for the last 80+ years.

China and India went through a green revolution (agricultural output) back in the last part of the 20 th century and then just sat on their hands. China in just 10 years or so has gone from a net rice exporter to a major rice importer due to this sudden shift in wealth.

This is a world wide  issue of governments to anticipate and plan for the explosion of the population bomb that everyone has known for almost 40 years was coming.

This is a population and planned development issue it has almost nothing to do with biofuels!

Larry

[1outlaw]

Thanks Larry.

Shouldn't that be the job of our elected officials in Maryland?

Do not expect govt to do this job for you- it is the people who have power. This is why there is such a misinfornation war against biofuels- it is the people who will make the difference. As an example- those deep in govt (not elected type) know what importation of oil is costing US citizens in terms of job loss/impact on economy, how much is saved in farm programs vs blender credits, the real impact of energy costs on food vs ethanol's impact---yet who do you hear talking right now?

[jdp71164]

Thanks Larry.

Shouldn't that be the job of our elected officials in Maryland?

[hotrod]

Don't be bashful --- tell the stations they are over pricing the E85. Explain it exactly as you have above.
Just flat tell them that unless they sell the E85 at at discount of 20% or so of regular gasoline there is absolutely no reason to buy the stuff. They will get the highest profit at about a 20% discount based on the experience of other E85 markets.

Many of the station operators simply have no clue what the proper pricing for the product is!
We need to take it on ourselves to educate them. Call them and politely complain on the phone.
Then stop in and in person tell them that you stopped to buy some E85 but it is priced too high so you will go buy gasoline at your normal station. Don't tell them you also called. Make them think they are two separate consumers complaining about the pricing.

Point them at the E85 prices web site so they can see that E85 is booming in locations like Colorado where the vendors are pricing it intelligently.

Tell your friends to stop in and complain (politely) that the fuel is over priced based on the energy content of the fuel. E85 only contains 72% of the energy gasoline does per gallon, so should be discounted at about the same rate to keep from ripping off the customers.

Larry

[jdp71164]

Thanks for the info!

I wish our elected "fearless leaders" would step in and start doing something for the US people other than for personal gain! 
   
Here's a crazy thought, place some type of controls on the oil companies, perhaps tax them for being extreme capitalist!

[DragonWhip]

jdp, You need a decent price spread in between nl and e85, if you are only doing for economy. For instance in my jeep on nl I got 20 mpg, to break even on e85 with the price spread here which was about $0.60 for winter blend I would only need to get 14.5 mpg to break even. Getting into e85 you have to get out of the oil programming planted in your brain and start using the calculator at the top right hand corner to find your miles per dollar. It's an eye opener. The answer to e85 cheaper, is if you have a producer like we have here in central Wi. they make their own market an have a 60 to 89 cent price spread, Because they have their own pumps and locations. Most of the ethanol produced is sold to the oil companies and they take the 51 cent blending credit and put it in their own pocket instead of passing the lower price on to you. The other reasons for using e85, 105 octane, cleaner burning, money stays at home, burns cooler thus less engine fatigue. I'm so P ssed at oil, that I'd still use it, but would brew and distill it myself. Welcome. Later.