New EIA study finds that almost all U.S. gasoline is blended with ethanol
According to a new report issued by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), most petroleum-based gasoline is blended with 10 percent ethanol, accounting for more than 95 percent of all fuel domestically consumed for motor vehicles.
According to the EIA’s Petroleum Supply Monthly, almost all petroleum-based gasoline for use in motor vehicles with gasoline engines is combined with 10 percent ethanol, known as E10. The total volume of ethanol-blended motor fuels in the United States has steadily increased since 2010, while the use of ethanol-free gasoline (E0) has declined. Combining gasoline with ethanol is one way to gain federal renewable fuel standards (RFS) compliance.
Given current rates of ethanol in fuel, the EIA projects that there is little way to increase ethanol use in petroleum-based gasoline for motor vehicles with gasoline engines, as most vehicles cannot accept higher volumes of ethanol, such as E85 and E15. According to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations, E85 is only approved for use in flex fuel vehicles, while E15 is only approved for vehicle models from 2001 and after.
The EIA statistics and figures are based on data collected from refiners, importers, ethanol producers and large blending terminals. The report also found a discrepancy with its figures compared to BOB volumes, which it attributes to data from ethanol blending facilities not surveyed by the EIA.
