Storm breaks out over E15 ethanol engine test

What engines failed, and when and why. Was this test designed to fail?

In Washington, the Coordinating Research Council, a non-profit research organization supported by the American Petroleum Institute and a group of automobile manufacturers, released a study that it said demonstrated the negative effects that blends of 15 and 20 percent ethanol in gasoline, E15 and E20, would have on the current vehicle fleet.

In the study, out of eight engines approved by the EPA to use E15, two failed with mechanical damage when operated with the ethanol blend.

A pdf copy of the study is available here.

The release of the results brought a howl of protest from the Department of Energy, the Renewable Fuels Association, the American Coalition for Ethanol and Growth Energy.

American Coalition for Ethanol SVP Ron Lamberty commented, “The real problem here is that people may read about this project and think that it actually has some connection to the real world.  The parameters of the test, the definitions of “pass” and “fail” and even the cars selected were carefully chosen to produce the results the study’s funders wanted. The Department of Energy points out that this “study” included engines with known durability issues, and that one of the engines used in the tests even failed the API tests while running straight gasoline with no ethanol.”

“How Big Oil can trot out this small, slanted, flawed study as something we should take seriously, while calling EPA’s two and a half years of E15 testing a “rush to judgment” is beyond me.  Saying it more often and louder won’t make it the truth. All this latest hit piece proves it that ethanol’s opponents are becoming more desperate to keep ethanol – which could help consumers save more at the pump – completely out of the marketplace,” Lamberty said.

RFA CEO Bob Dinneen commented, “After 6 million miles and years of testing, the Department of Energy found no problems with the use of E15 in vehicles made since model year 2001. By funding research using questionable testing protocols and illegal fuels, the results of this study are meaningless and only serve to further muddy the waters and shun the overwhelming desire of 75 percent of Americans for greater choice at the pump.

Dinneen also noted that some of the vehicles in the oil/auto industry funded research project actually failed on E0 (gasoline without ethanol), the study did not look at performance compared to E10 ethanol, the general US standard, and that some of the vehicles tested were under recall by NHTSA.

In a blog post, the DOE commented, “We believe the choice of test engines, test cycle, limited fuel selection, and failure criteria of the CRC program resulted in unreliable and incomplete data, which severely limits the utility of the study. “

Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis added, “The EPA tests were much more thorough, testing more engines for longer periods, and for 120,000 miles and the results were consistently clear – E15 did not produce any negative effects. If that is not enough, consider the fact that NASCAR has run close to two million miles on E15 in some of the toughest engine conditions imaginable with no problems whatsoever. As a matter of fact, their extensive use of E15 has shown the benefits of increased horsepower and performance.

The study found support from the Friends of the Earth’s biofuels policy campaigner, Michal Rosenoer, who said, ”

“This study clearly shows that the EPA rushed the approval process for E15. The introduction of E15 at the pumps could result in a lot of stranded consumers with big repair bills. Tests show using E15 as directed will leave consumers stuck on the side of the highway, and because major engine manufacturers have already stated that using E15 will void warranties, they’ll also be stuck paying for dead engines.

“Just as the EPA did not take the steps necessary to ensure E15 is safe for consumers, it also failed to conduct the research necessary to protect public health and the environment. Ethanol-blended gasoline releases more toxic air pollution than regular gasoline, including nitrous oxide and formaldehyde. Because ethanol is more corrosive than gas, storing E15 in underground storage tanks could lead to widespread fuel leaks and drinking water contamination.

“The EPA should revoke its registration of E15 until it is positive that the fuel is safe for consumers and the environment.”