Unfortunately we can't use "E" fuel in our Cherokees. But you are right, not only is it less expensive, ethanol is a byproduct of cattle feed thus, sadly, "sustainable". I know there will be debates with me saying that.... Lets' just be nice about it

From my research, big V8s do really well with ethanol where smaller engines aren't so lucky.

 

Really? Our manual states e10 maximum somewhere... will have to look it up

 

government pushing 15% fuel. says 2001 or newer. carmakers dont agree. e15 will void warranty. also remember e15 gets worse mileage so a little cheaper just as e85 gets much worse mileage so much cheaper. only benefit of extra alcohol is to help meet tgovernment laws. not a benefit to consumer.

 

I have done some testing with gas containing 10% ethanol in various cars and all have resulted in a 10% reduction in MPG. I now TRY to avoid gas with ethanol. I wonder if the great renewable fuel dream is just a myth and a plan to starve cows!

 

I know we can use E10, also called Ethanol blend or Gasohol, in our 2015 Cherokee's.

I've read the government is pushing for the E15 and claims that their studies show no damage to late model engines.

My wife's 2015 Ford Focus owners manual specifically states that up to E15 can be used and will not void the warranty. I've read it's the same with GM late model cars.

I wonder why Chrysler is behind? Or it might be that the engine is already equipped to handle E15, but they haven't published it yet?

I just read on Wiki that Chrysler said that starting with their 2016 models, they'll be approved for up to a 15%
blend.

 

sorry I guess I should clarify. Here in California "all" gasoline fuel is E10 in that it can contain up to 10% ethanol. E85, which they do sell in CA (what I referred to as "E" fuel) isn't certified for our Cherokee engines.

 

One day, someone will have to explain to me how getting less MPG, i.e. burning more fuel, reduces pollution! Not to mention that the diversion of corn crops to make ethanol increase the price of feed to meat producers.

Maybe this is one of those "Drive on a parkway then park in a driveway" things.

 

I think the reason for a potentially voided warranty is that ethanol is corrosive to the seals and gaskets of a regular fuel system that hasn't been explicitly designed to resist the effects. 10% isn't enough to affect things, but some car makers think that 15% is pushing things into damaging territory. Another issue I wasn't immediately familiar with is that ethanol is hydroscopic and attracts water. Normally this is probably beneficial with limiting water contamination in the fuel, but if the concentration gets high enough the alcohol and water will drop out of suspension and result in a clogging mess in your fuel lines.

I'm not a fan of ethanol myself, as its considerably less energy dense then standard gasoline, so everyone gets lower fuel economy. The process to generate the ethanol (usually from corn) isn't terrifically efficient, so on the environmental side of things it's at best a wash, and probably worse off after you factor all the energy needed to produce it. So we have less efficient fuel, but it's "sustainable". Funny thing is, old oil deposits are refilling themselves mysteriously, and those we are using now are depleting at a much slower rate then expected. It's gotten to the point that they've dusted off the old Abiogenic petroleum theory, and started wondering if the oil is actually inorganic in origin, and not old decomposed dinos after all.

Ethanol
Oil Fields refiling
Abiogenic Petroleum

 

@BCTrailhawk I completely believed you until I did my own research so I can answer your questions right now.

A) Most of the corn grown is to feed cattle
B) Cattle can't digest the corn very well (now there is a question to be answered) So the corn is then fermented to make it easier for cattle to digest
C) The byproduct of this process is Ethanol(!) Efficiently or not it's affectively free
D) Big oil didn't like this so they put a smear campaign out on Ethanol
E) Burning more of a fuel doesn't make it inherently more of a polluter. I'm not saying Ethanol is clean, I'm just pointing out a simple fact.

Now it's very true that one does get lower MPGs but at a significantly reduced fuel cost. Our automobiles are, contrary to popular believe, not the big polluters. Don't get me wrong, we CAN have vehicles with 100MPG right now but alas big oil doesn't like that number too much. Don't believe me, do your own research on heating fuel before entering the combustion chamber.

I could go on and on but why bother? It just upsets me....

My two cents