Olympia Area Gasoline Without Ethanol

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acme olympiaYou may or may not realize that most of the gasoline you purchase contains approximately 10% ethanol.  Ethanol is derived from corn, and it is added to gasoline to supposedly improve air quality.  Unfortunately, there are several drawbacks to ethanol.

First of all, utilizing corn for fuel means more corn is needed to provide for both fuel and food supply; this drives up the cost of corn.

Second, ethanol can act as a solvent in your fuel system.  Although this is generally not a problem for newer cars, ethanol can degrade rubber hoses and gaskets in older cars, causing them to leak.

Third, ethanol contains less energy content, or BTU’s (British Thermal Units – a measure of energy), than gasoline.  Thus, your miles per gallon are less.  The difference can depend on your vehicle.

Lastly, ethanol loves moisture.  In straight gasoline, if water moisture is present, it will separate from the fuel and sink to the bottom of the fuel tank.  If enough water builds up, it will cause a problem, but it can easily be siphoned out.  For ethanol-containing fuel, however, the water moisture is absorbed by the ethanol and remains in suspension within the tank.  This can make it difficult to completely remove the water without losing the fuel as well.

Using fuel without ethanol is much better for equipment such as lawnmowers, weed eaters, boats, etc–and can be better for your car as well.  We carry gasoline without ethanol at both of our Acme/Fast Fuel gas stations.  At our Downtown location (303 Thurston Ave NE), we carry Ethanol-Free Midgrade; and at our location at 501 Lilly Rd SE (near the new Olympia Fire Station) we carry Ethanol-Free Premium.  We accept Visa and Master Card; or if you have one of our Fleetwide Fuel Cards you get a 5 cent per gallon discount off of the posted price.

 

For more information, give us a call at 360-943-1133 or visit our website at www.acmefuel.com.

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