Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - It's really not an option anymore – virtually every local gas station is selling E-10, a blend of 90 percent regular gasoline and 10 percent ethanol.
Most of us probably don't notice a dramatic difference, but we've taken a lot of questions from people who want to know how this affects their car and their mileage.
If a gas station is selling you E-10, they have to have a sticker on their pump letting you know, and you'll be hard-pressed to find a station that doesn't have one on every pump.
Here's The Real Deal on some of your questions about it:
Q: Does E-10 decrease your gas mileage?
A: Yes. Researchers say a tank of E-10 usually results in a three-percent drop in your mileage compared to regular gas. Ethanol has less energy in it, so it takes more of it to get where you're going.
Q: Will E-10 hurt the engine of my car?
A: No. Before E-10 was approved for mass distribution, the EPA found it did not damage engine components. The Rochester Institute of Technology also found older cars can handle the blend too.
Q: Is it okay to use E-10 in my boat, lawn mower, and ATV?
A: Maybe. E-10 does not damage four-cycle motors, but does have an effect on two-cycle ones. Things like leaf blowers, weed whackers and some outboard boat engines that have to mix the fuel with oil in order to run, may work differently with E-10.
The federal government requires stations to sell blended gas, so E-10 is here to stay.
The EPA is expected to decide on an E-15 proposal in the next few weeks, but the science shows only flex fuel vehicles can handle anything over E-10, so if approved, E-15 would just be an option at the pumps, not the norm.
E-10 and E-15 is just one of several gas-related topics consumer investigator Jennifer Lewke will be talking about tonight, as we go In Depth on gas.
Why are some stations so much cheaper? How much in taxes are we paying per gallon? Your questions answered tonight beginning at 5:00.
Friday, we continue our Fired Up About Fuel series with The Real Deal on home heating costs.
