E85 fuel in Hyundai's

Cars have to be built specially to handle E-85. They are typically called "flex-fuel" vehicles.

More and more of these are being built all the time by more and more manufacturers. As I understand it, the number and availability of tax incentives to buy these are also growing by leaps and bounds. Hyundai and Kia will apparently join the "flex-fuel vehicle" rush in 2007.

As for modifying a current vehicle, I won't say it's impossible, but so much would have to be modified, I doubt any kits will be made available, unless there are some very committed people out there.

I would also ask people to think carefully before buying a vehicle that runs on E-85, unless it is a true "flex-fuel" vehicle, meaning it can also run on regular unleaded. For now, the availability of E-85 is limited, meaning unless your driving is totally local, you may have some problems finding a station that supplies it out of your area. As I understand it, that is changing rapidly also.

Ethanol plants are being built and proposed left and right. I think you will find that this is a phenomenon that will become a very real part of our fuel future in the years to come.

But for now, sorry but I don't think this will help your Elantra and Santa Fe.

Hope this helps.

Tom Wenndt

No E85 for you (or me with a 2002 XG350) but I have heard that flex fuel vehicles get really bad mileage on E85, like if they get 20 mpg on gasoline they get 10 mpg on E85. This makes that 40 cent a gallon cheaper E85 look like not so good a deal anymore. I'm not at all sure this is true, its just something I heard. Anyone out there know for sure? They keep saying that alcohol burns hotter and faster so I'm not sure it makes sense that the mileage would be that different, maybe E85 should even be better???

its only around 10-20% loss of fuel economy, E85 doesnt have as much bang as regular petrol.

I'll vouch for that. I recently drove a GM car, a rental, rated at approximately 400 miles on a tank of gas, 300 on a tank of E85. There is less energy in a gallon of ethanol than a gallon of gasoline, so any price benefit would be lost to the lowre mileage.

Not to mention the amount of oil it takes to grow and process the corn used to make the ethanol. The chosen claim a net 20% gain over just using the oil to make gasoline. That requires a level of recycling energy that far exceeds current practice. The real net result is much more likly a net loss in efficiency but a net gain in ADM's bank account.

I prefer to look at it this way.

Even though the cost of E85 would be about the same when you factor fuel ec> >