Vehicles, flex-fuel

The ethanol concentration in gasoline can vary from 10% (called E10) to 70% and up to 85% (called E85). All automobiles can use E10 fuel, but only the flex-fuel vehicles (6 million cars in the United States, which is 2.4% of the automobile fleet) can run on E85. The flex-fuel car gas tanks are... 

In most cases the ethanol is blended with gasoline. The vast majority of cars and trucks can use a 10% blend with gasoline (E10) in USA. A 22% blend of ethanol with gasoline (E22) is the most sold fuel in Brazil. Flex-fuel vehicles (FFV) are capable of running on variable blends up to 85% bioethanol (E85). However, when using E85 the fuel consumption increases by 20-30% due to differences in energy per unit volume. 

The global demand for ethanol is increasing very quickly. In Brazil, the growth of the internal market is due to the new technology used in flex fuel vehicles (vehicles with the... 

Dual Fuel (or Flex Fuel) Vehicle - A vehicle with an engine capable of operating on two different types of fuels. 

M. Roehr, ed.. The Biotechnology of Ethanol, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, 2001 J. Goettemoeller and A. Goettemoeller, Sustainable Ethanol Biofuels, Biorefineries, Cellulosic Biomass, Flex-fuel Vehicles, and Sustainable Farming for Energy Independence, Prairie Oak Pub., Maryville, 2007 L. Olsson, Biofuels, Springer, Berlin, 2007 W. Soetaert, E.J. Vandamme, ed.. Biofuels, John Wiley Sons, Chichester, 2009. 

Bioethanol is mainly used in car engines, but it can also be used in tractors, planes, and boats. In flexible-fuel or flex-fuel vehicles, it is used as a drop-in biofuel in this case the fuels for the propulsion of the vehicle are interchangeable. Due to the significantly low freezing point, it cannot be used as a jet fuel. 

While most automotive fuel sold in the United States contains 10% ethanol, it is also possible to power the vehicle on a blend that is primarily ethanol. The optimum blend sold in both the U.S. and European markets for flexible-fuel vehicles is E85 (mixture of gasoline containing 85% of ethanol). In Brazil, flex-fuel vehicles can operate with ethanol mixtures up to ElOO. The Brazihan 2008 Honda Civic flex-fuel car is built with a secondary reservoir gasoline tank. In March 2009 the first Polo E-Hex was launched in Brazil without the auxiliary gasoline tank. Ethanol-based engines can be used to power automobiles, tractors, city buses, distribution trucks, and waste collectors. 

This vehicle comes both with a four-cylinder, 2.5 L, Atkinson-engine, which features an electric traction motor to run the 177 HP motor, or a six-cylinder, 3 L, flex-fuel engine. 

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