What Is a Flex-Fuel System?
According to the fueleconomy.gov website, vehicles with flex-fuel systems can be fueled with either gasoline or a blend including up to 85-percent ethanol (E85). With the exception of a few modifications, flex-fuel systems are identical to vehicles that are powered by gasoline only.
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Performance
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You should not see a drop in performance when driving a flex-fuel vehicle. However, your gas mileage will generally drop by approximately 25 to 30 percent when using E85, based on estimates from the fueleconomy.gov website. This is because ethanol does not have as much energy per volume as gasoline.
Identifying A Flex-Fuel Vehicle
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Flex-fuel vehicles have been available since the 1980s. You can tell if a vehicle is flex-fuel compatible in several ways. Many manufacturers place yellow gas caps on flex-fuel models or place labels on the fuel door indicating what type of fuel is acceptable. Many models also place a decal on the body of the vehicles identifying it as a flex-fuel model.
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Cost And Availability
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According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, there are currently 6 million flex-fuel vehicles in circulation. Many manufacturers have announced plans to increase this number in the coming years. Flex-fuel vehicles cost the same as their gasoline-only counterparts. The lower gas mileage is offset by a typically lower cost per gallon of ethanol-blends compared to gasoline.
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