All Activity
This stream auto-updates
- Earlier
-
JackieRFA joined the community
-
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is affecting all of us - in one way or another. I am off work through at least mid-April - and it’s looking like that may be extended per Governor Whitmer’s order. Its effect on the economy and society of the entire world can not be understated. However one issue is catching my eye that few around me are paying attention to - ethanol pricing. In the wake of the disappearing sedan crisis (where we have suddenly decided we need SUVs, trucks, and minivans), coinciding with difficulty in finding an FFV, ethanol pricing seems to be struggling to compete with gasoline. The other day, checking Speedway fuel prices as I routinely do, I noticed something odd - E85 is 5 cents MORE per gallon than regular gasoline. Now at first, I thought this was a fluke. After all, I made noise here, at the station itself, and with Speedway corporate about store #2213 at 6329 West Saginaw Highway in Lansing. Back in 2014 and 2015, I caught spreads that looked as ugly as this one the day after Christmas in 2014. But it was just a fluke. As 2015 wore on, and even with gasoline plummeting to near $1/gallon in February 2016, Speedway still maintained a $0.20 spread. However, after checking through as many store prices as possible through the Speedway app, I can confirm that they are selling at a negative spread at stores in several states. I saw as much this evening at the Old Town Speedway on the north side of Lansing. I first noticed Speedway sold E85 at select stores near I-94 in 2012, and then their numbers proliferated in 2013 and 2014. At no time since they began selling the fuel here have I seen a negative spread at Speedway en masse.
-
The number of fuel stations now offering Flex Fuel E85 has reached an important milestone, as a Casey’s store in Ankeny, Iowa, became the 5,000th station nationwide to sell E85. While offering significantly lower emissions than traditional fuel, the E85 flex fuel blend also offers a price advantage to consumers. “Reaching the 5,000-station mark is a significant achievement for the ethanol industry and our partner in the retail sector,” said Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “The continued expansion of E85 and other flex fuels is great news for drivers looking for savings at the pump and a way to help the environment. E85 has been available to the public for decades but has really caught on in recent years. We’re especially happy to see that this notable landmark was reached by our friends at Casey’s, a company that has long been dedicated to making ethanol-blended fuels available to their customers.” The 5,000th location is the Casey’s store at 3605 NW Irvinedale Drive in Ankeny, Iowa, where E85 is currently selling for about 30 percent less than regular Unleaded 87. “We are proud to be a part of this historic milestone as we continue bringing consumer-driven products like Unleaded 88 and E85 to the communities we serve,” said Jake Comer, Fuel Pricing Manager for Casey’s General Stores. “We are grateful for key industry partners like the Renewable Fuels Association that work hard to ensure the success of renewable fuels.” Click here for a map of E85 locations nationwide. At the E85Prices.com website, visitors also can share reviews and current prices. Click here for more information on Flex Fuel’s benefits and review a chart of which specific vehicles are ready for E85. -
If you missed the recent announcement, USDA will soon launch a Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP) that will have a total of $100M of funding - $86M for ethanol; $14M for biodiesel. You can read more about the announcement here: https://ethanolrfa.org/2020/02/rfa-thanks-usda-for-renewable-fuels-infrastructure-grant-program-fleet-directive/ USDA also announced the plan to utilize more E15 and E85 in their fleet, which could equate to 9 million more gallons of E15 and 10 million more gallons of E85. If you know of retailers interested in the program, please send them our way. We are getting several ready for the application process expected this spring. Robert; RFA -
It only took 5 years to get E85
Fuelinggood replied to gasisoutrageous's topic in Announce New E85 Stations
Thanks - we will get it added today. Robert RFA -
Back in December 2014 while I still had a car, I was driving out to the ethanol plant in Lake Odessa when I noticed a price sign on West Saginaw that looked different. Now I can notice an E85 pump from a hundred yards away while going 70, and I know how each brand of station specifies the designs on everything from the pumps, to canopy height, to price sign appearance. So naturally, the white "E85" slot followed by "not a Citgo fuel" stuck out like a sore thumb. When I see a new station, or one with the tell-tale signs of conversion to E85, I am almost legally required to do some recon work and check it out. I spoke to the cashier who believed that they would be converting the kerosene pump and tank, but he wasn't sure when or even if they would actually be getting E85. As the years go by, I eventually dismiss the possibility that this station would even receive E85 fuel... making me wonder why it was ever put in their price sign. Last year I stopped in to ask for an update. That same employee I talked to in 2014 was there again, and mentioned something about a contract they had with a supplier, and again wasn't sure when or even if they would be getting the fuel. Just last week, I had found out about a town hall meeting that Delta township was going to be holding at the nearby Delta Township library regarding a proposal to constrict traffic flow on Michigan Avenue with bike lanes. After attending to speak out against the move, I walked down to the bus stop that happened to be in front of the Citgo, and I couldn't believe my eyes. There was that bright yellow pump, and $1.99 next to the E85 slot on the price sign. I couldn't believe it finally happened! Again, it only took 5 years, but they finally got E85 fuel installed. Combined with the nearby Meijer and the Speedway station down the pike, there are now 3 E85 stations within just over a mile on Saginaw Highway (Michigan 43/Business Loop I-69). I stopped in today to jot down the phone number and ask about it. The cashier said they had had the fuel for about a month. Here is the information: Sunoco 4819 West Saginaw Highway Lansing, MI 48917 517-321-8800 Latitude: 42.740807 Longitude: -84.617737
-
-
All: The tax extenders package from earlier this week included a key provision for higher blends, specifically E85. The Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit (AFVRPC) was included for tax years 2018, 2019 and 2020. There are fuel retailers across the country that will be entitled to a tax credit for installing E85 in these tax years. I have included a short summary that you can find here on the law, and how they can file to get their credit: https://ethanolrfa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Fuel-Retailer-Tax-Extender-Update-12.17.19.pdf Please share with your fuel retailer contacts in your states as it could be quite a windfall for some. All the best, Robert White; RFA
-
The 0-cent-spread experiment from Family Express continues, sometimes the cheapest fuel is E10 from a 0 cent spread station (Griffith East, Saint John), and sometimes its E15 from a station with a proper 5 cent spread (Highland). The previous fillup it was the latter($2.249 E15, I think), and it would have been the former on my last fillup except it was around midnight and Griffith East's zoning doesn't allow it to stay open that late, so I went to the sister station down the road (Family Express Griffith) and filled up with $2.209 E10 instead, which is unusual for me since I like to patronize the stations that carry higher ethanol blends. There's a new station in Crown Point, a Citgo built in the last couple of months (already submitted to e85prices), and like Casey's, their new construction station carries not only E85 but also E15. Looks like they're going with a 3 cent spread, where at these prices the spread would have to around 4.5 cents to be even on energy/miles per dollar. We'll see if they adjust the spread to spur demand.
-
If you missed the announcement and the release of recent mini-episodes, the RFA's Flex Fuel Wrangler has been unveiled. This took place on Tuesday at the 2019 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. The 2018 Jeep Wrangler JL Unlimited was fitted with a 7.0L Supercharged HEMI that is churning out more than 1,100 horsepower on E85. You can catch the mini-episodes on RFA's Facebook or Instagram accounts, or go to your TV and find Hauk Machines on Amazon Prime. http://agnewswire.com/2019/11/07/flex-fuel-jeep-wrangler-debuts-in-vegas/ Enjoy! Robert
-
New Shell listing in Schaumburg, Illinois
Guest replied to gasisoutrageous's topic in Announce New E85 Stations
Thanks again! Will be sure the station is in the database. -Kelsey, RFA -
Flint has another E85 Speedway
Guest replied to gasisoutrageous's topic in Announce New E85 Stations
Thank you, gasisoutrageous. I will get the station added and be sure to remove the duplicate. Have a great day. -
Made sure to check out a couple of new stations in Chicagoland when I was out there earlier this month with the Impala rental I had. Found one that I thought was unlisted, but is in fact on E85 prices. However, I could not find this particular Shell station. It is a nice, new, but small and packed station on Mall Drive and East Higgins Road (Illinois Route 72). It is another one of those Shell "Clearflex E85" stations. When I saw the price, I thought it was excessively high. Talked with Joe over in West Chicago, and he and I had different theories. I thought it was the owner of the Shell station DGAF about E85 (because this acronym involves profanity, I will direct anyone who is curious about it to look it up), but Joe thought it was a "because Schaumburg" tax. Whichever is the case, here is the information to have the station listed: Shell 517 Mall Drive Schaumburg, IL 60173 847-517-9132 Latitude: 42.038765500162 Longitude: -88.038395941257 -
I rented a 2019 Impala and finally got a chance to see a Speedway station I had caught wind of being gutted and rebuilt. It happened to be on Hill Road, right along the usual route I take around Flint to check prices. Wow is this station a stark contrast to the hole that used to be there. Here is the station information: Speedway 1435 East Hill Road Grand Blanc, MI 48439 810-695-1909 Latitude: 42.944437894744 Longitude: -83.675835281610 Also, I should note that there are two listings for the Speedway at 2169 West Bristol Road in Flint. One has a phone number listed, and the other does not. Please be sure to delete the duplicate listing which is not associated with a phone number.
-
http://www.tribtown.com/2019/09/21/premier_energy_celebrates_grand_opening_of_countrymark_in_brownstown/ Just posted this station to e85prices, the first CountryMark E15 station. I'm liking the 6 cent spread between E10 and E15 already!
-
https://twitter.com/CSPmagazine/status/1173661600756244482 Interesting little seminar on E15 pricing vs. E10 and various E15 concerns. I like how my local Family Express chooses to just ignore all of it and try something different (for them): pricing E10 and E15 exactly the same, to the penny. I've seen the 5 cent spread, the 2 cents spread, the 3 cent spread (I think), even the 10 cent spread down in Indy, but never the 0 cent spread. I'll spoil the seminar for you, out of all the spreads tested (0 cents, 3 cents, 5 cents, 7 cents, 10 cents) the 0 cent spread had the worst outcome in sales. Same E15 sales, less E10 sales. Anyway, looks like I'll be sticking to E10 for the foreseeable future.
-
Picked up some E15 before September 15th, just in case winter blends come sooner rather than later, a mere $2.249 a gallon with perks card. That's like saving a virtual penny per gallon over E10 in energy/miles per dollar if there's a 5 cent spread! It's been a month or so, but the data from GasBuddy isn't always so good on E15 prices. There's a station near here that sells their E15 at 5 cents less than E10 pretty reliably. For the past few days in the GasBuddy app, the E15 price has been 50 cents more than I would deduce it to be based on E10 prices. The E15 price in the app just happens to be the price of the diesel the station also sells. E15 is labeled as Regular 88 at that station (Family Express). Maybe recognition of what Regular 88 actually is is still filtering out slowly. The E15 price was even 2 cents lower than the E85 price. So much energy per dollar!
-
This is the last round of winners for the year, we encourage you to keep on submitting prices and look for other contests and campaigns we might have in the future on E85prices.com. 12-Aug Apiccininni1 13-Aug ChemEmang 14-Aug cguigar 15-Aug hrstein 16-Aug synapser2005 17-Aug Steph 18-Aug nickm03 19-Aug Vulcan-Ranger 20-Aug KCarpenter 21-Aug GR864 22-Aug ProphetWRIGHT 23-Aug SubaruH6 24-Aug Rack 25-Aug gasisoutrageous 26-Aug James48843 27-Aug n0cf 28-Aug Wasabi37 29-Aug Mountaineer 30-Aug FEH05 31-Aug jeepn 1-Sep Rscudvr 2-Sep xprss
-
If you missed the announcement, RFA has partnered with Hauk Designs to build a custom off-road vehicle that will feature E85. The build will feature a 2018 Wrangler JL and expectations are more than 1,000 horsepower. You can learn more in our press release (link below), and follow the action via mini-episodes on RFA's Facebook (link below). Once the 14-weeks social media campaign is over, the content will be bundled and expanded, then featured on Amazon Prime on the show, Hauk Machines. RFA Press Release: https://ethanolrfa.org/2019/07/rfa-hauk-designs-to-showcase-ethanol-benefits-with-e85-flex-fuel-off-road-project/ Follow the action here: https://www.facebook.com/EthanolRFA/
-
Next set of winners is below. We will choose next on August 26th and again to finish the contest up after Labor Day on September 3. 29-Jul MrJMM 30-Jul csigafus 31-Jul James48843 1-Aug Fueledup94 2-Aug joeanncont_07 3-Aug FEH05 4-Aug jeepn 5-Aug Mountaineer 6-Aug Indiana 7-Aug cguigar 8-Aug BJoe 9-Aug ethanolkicksgas 10-Aug CornProne 11-Aug FellwockJones
-
Hey Rack, I have gone through these edits and updated them accordingly on E85prices.com Thank you Kelsey Quargnenti RFA
-
#4 GPS update: Casey's 105 W Union St, Waterloo, IN 46793 https://www.google.com/maps/place/Casey's/@41.4332003,-85.0203289,136m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x88161f202906a7cb:0x79c5f67c51ed4eaf!8m2!3d41.433048!4d-85.0203039 41.433019, -85.020351
-
Aw, shucky ducky! This UNL88 stuff might be going mainstream! I opened up the GasBuddy app today, and today I noticed there was a place to put in a UNL88/E15 price at for my local Family Express. You can even search by UNL88 stations, though there are not many at all listed and I had to go and add a fuel for a couple of stations around here that do indeed carry E15. Exciting times!
-
#3 GPS update: Speedway 15801 W Commerce Rd, Daleville, IN 47334 https://www.google.com/maps/place/Speedway/@40.1135928,-85.5727043,135m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x881527106b823515:0x92a35cd92c8943ef!8m2!3d40.1136205!4d-85.5723844 40.113617, -85.572364
-
Next set of winners is below. We will choose next on August 12th. 15-Jul SubaruH6 16-Jul RacerX 17-Jul gasisoutrageous 18-Jul wardnkathy 19-Jul combatnerd 20-Jul Steph 21-Jul xprss 22-Jul nickm03 23-Jul lori.madison13 24-Jul PureMichigan2.5GT 25-Jul BJoe 26-Jul synapser2005 27-Jul roseyangelx 28-Jul Rack
-
I posted in a separate thread. It is possible to retrofit a snowmobile to run E85, however there are steps that have to be taken to insure cold start in extremely cold temperatures. Previous sleds have been fitted with a pre-warmer for first start in the morning or have run lower concentrations of ethanol for the same purpose.
