EIA says E10 now accounts for 95% of gasoline consumption

In Washington, the Energy Information Agency says E10 accounts for more than 95% of the fuel consumed in motor vehicles with gasoline engines. The total volume of ethanol blended into motor fuels used in the United States has continued to increase since 2010, albeit at a declining rate of growth. Meanwhile, the use of ethanol-free gasoline (E0) by fuel consumers has declined.

Notwithstanding the partial waiver and the significant number of flex-fuel vehicles now in use, sales of E15 and E85 remain very limited because of a variety of economic, environmental, and distribution system challenges. EIA data cannot directly measure E15 and E85 use, in part because these fuels can be blended at the point of sale. However, in the final rule for the RFS program for calendar years 2014, 2015, and 2016 that was issued in November 2015, EPA estimated use of 320 million gallons of E15 and 200 million gallons of E85 in 2016. Combined, these values would represent only 0.4% of the total 142 billion gallons of fuel use by vehicles and other equipment with gasoline-burning engines expected during 2016, according to EIA’s latest Short-Term Energy Outlook.