Experience with Ethanol-Free Gas?

Can we clarify "small" vs "significant" (jump in mpg), say with percents? The middle tank in this screen grab was an out-of-town fillup, that I suspect was ethanol-free. It was a Chevron station as usual, and as you can see it was only about 1/2 a tank down when I refilled.

The reason I suspect it was ethanol-free, it was crazy easy to get the liters/100 km, and quite a bit lower than usual. Reading up, there was some info saying it's much more common to have ethanol-free beyond Metro Vancouver. I've tried emailing Chevron, but no response.



With the half-tank fillup, and again I'm just guessing it was ethanol-free, looks like a 4% improvement. It was definitely easier to keep the displayed liters per 100 km lower (opposite of US system, lower is better). My wife took the car one evening, headed out at 4.1, arrived home at 4.0.

 

E10 is not always a full 10% ethanol, but when it is, it has 3% less energy than E0. My Gen2 got about 7% better gas mileage on E0. (the v is under 5%)

Had E0 ever been within 7% of the cost of E10, it would make sense to use it. It never was, locally.

I am on E10 and saving money. My goal is never to get the most MPG, it is to use up the least petroleum.

(E85 is 30% higher priced locally than E10, even though it has about 30% less energy. It makes it over 60% more expensive. And it is not recommended for the Prius. I could use it in the wife's company car, they are paying, but it is over 30 miles away to the station)

 

I've tested E-0 vs: E-10 in 3 cars. 1st was an 2008 Toyota Corolla. I got about 5.5% better mileage with E-0.
I next did it on a 2012 Camry Hybrid.That got 6-8% higher with E-0.
Shortly after buying a new 2014 Prius hatchback, I tested 5 tanks of E-10 and got 54.65 mpg.
Then 7 tanks E-0 and got 55.97 mpg. An increase of 2.4%. I even tested the fuel with the rain gauge method ethanol test to verify 10% and 0% ethanol. Since E-0 is now 19% higher than E-0 (was about 12% higher at time of test, summer 2014) I have not used E-0 since. Adding to reason for not using E-0 is stations are 4 miles out of the way from normal routes.Hope this helps some. No idea why the Camry had such a bigger jump than the Prius. Same fuel supplier, same pumps, same driver.

 

Driving in Alaska and Yukon with E0 for 1000+ miles resulted in an increase in calculated mpg of 3-5 mpg compared to the 1,000miles previously and afterwards. It was noticeable enough to have to recalibrate the fuel consumption estimation on my Scangauge II trip fuel consumption menu.

More recently I had an mpg increase from 57 mpg with E10 for 500 miles to 63 mpg with E0 for 450 miles thereafter, all steady interstate driving (running new set of LLR tires at 40 psi now).

 

I don't know about the US or even B.C. but here in Alberta -all- stations must sell -only- ethanol (up to 10% alcohol) in "regular" grade. Some don't add ethyl alcohol to their "premium" fuel (Hughes for example). So if you have similar laws or regulations what you think is ethanol free fuel isn't.

An easy way to tell is, after a few tankfulls of the suspect fuel, when cold starting the car, step out of the car and sniff the air. If there is ethyl alcohol in the fuel the exhaust will smell like an alcohol burner. Until the cat is warmed up, then not much of any smell.

 

Hmm, think I know that smell. It's a distinct smell, only noticeable when car's warming, and doesn't smell like gasoline.

Well, after running a tank of chevron 94 octane (pump says "no ethanol") I filled up with regular last night. Expect litres per 100 km will go back up. This tank ended up at displayed 4.1 litres per 100 km (will do the math, calc will be higher), and I'm sure next tank will come in around 4.4 displayed.

 

Sporin -
Many U.S. Prius owners in the populated areas cannot get E0 because EPA mandates 10% ethanol in the "RFG" areas. I was considering a survey to ask how many of us live in RFG areas, but for starters about 30% Prii are sold in CA. My guess is well over 60% of U.S. Prii owners cannot get E0.

If you can get E0 in your area, then I estimate it could be up 10% better MPG (say 50 to 55 MPG). When you are using E0, you have more going for you than just zero ethanol. That also means you are not using EPA RFG (RBOB gasoline). The EPA RFG is formulated with reduced aromatic content (thus reduced MPG) to be cleaner burning. So you got a double and maybe triple whammy of improved energy and better MPG formula when you got E0.

What's controversial is the RFG formula goes back decades way before ultra-clean Prius hybrids came along. I am not sure that RFG makes a Prii any cleaner, and if not, I rather have E0 with decent energy and better MPG. But we are where we are for political reasons.

 

I can get ethanol-free and use it in my old tractor. Ethanol-free is about 30 to 50 cents more than E10 here.
This site lists some E0 places. Ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada

I do not know where in Northern VA @wjtracy is but the site lists a few possible places in the general DC area.

 

I always wanted to try E0 gasoline. The one from the list in my city offers 110 octane E0 gasoline. Is there any chance for an adverse effect on my car if I try a gas of 110 octane? Could I experience more power, or are our 1.8 liter engines designed to run most efficiently on regular octane?

 

That's unusual like avgas or something I'd ask the station what the recommended use of that is.

 

My mpg went up 6-8 mpg using BP E0 when it was 95-100 degree weather. Cooler may be more

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Rob,
Was that on one tank or multiple tanks? That is a big increase.

 

Still going after 7-8 fillups. I do Uber/Lyft part time and fill up about 3x per week. I use the same pump, same nozzle, first notch, first shutoff.

However last night I decided to change that and fill it to the very top where I can see it. I realized because of different factors the other way of filling up could vary. If I fill it to the top, it will be more consistent, I think. Even if I had to use different pumps.

I still get 47-49 mpg in a Prius v, and got 50.6 once just over a week ago but that was 87 octane E0 Citgo. Not sure if that was a fluke, but it and most 87 E0 here is $2.99, even most BPs. The 89 BP I use is $2.55.

The manager said they are adding more E0 to BP stations as well, which is awesome. If you look on Puregas.org, you can see a steady increase of stations nationwide adding it.

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Keep in mind the first tank when i switched mpg went down, but after that it went up

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Sorry if I'm the only one not keeping up with this discussion, but are you saying that you can fill up a single tank of E0 and see the mpg benefits for multiple tanks after that? Even if your next tank is back to the regular gas, which is not E0?

 

I think that my difference in E10-E0 MPG shifts is quite close to Robs,
On a different thread , a gentleman reported driving the same over 300-mile loop in identical conditions , and he measured a shift from 45mpg with E10 to 55 mpg with E0, which is even larger than what Rob or I are reporting.
Here in the Northern Virginia area, the closest E0 is a Wawa gas station in Fredrricksburg, Virginia, but in upstate New York ! quite a few of the Stewart Sweet Shops sell E0 premium.

 

The thing with my driving, routes are never the same.

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To recap: last tank I let it go really low, then filled up with Chevron octane 94 (pump says ethanol free). Then, when that tank was down just below half mark, refilled with regular (presumably 10% ethanol).

On this latest tank, roughly a 50/50 blend of the ethanol-free 94 octane and 10% ethanol regular, we continue have very good for us numbers, currently nearing 400 kms, with displayed fuel economy currently sitting at 4.0 liters per 100 kms, which translates to 58.8 mpg (US).

This is more-or-less the best we've ever seen, in particular around town, and more so since we're on 17" Michelin PIlots, mounted on the heavy stock rims.

So not sure whats going on, driving conditions could be a factor too.

 

You would think running half and half would make the computer go wacky.

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