E85 fuel station opens in Waxhaw
Charlotte Observer
By: Marty Minchin
A Waxhaw gas station is one of the first in the area to offer BP's new E85 fuel, which is touted as a possible large-scale replacement for gasoline.
If you're looking for E85 in Charlotte, its also sold at R&K Express-BP on Pence Road. Several stations in Rock Hill and Fort Mill also sell the alternative fuel.
E85 is made of 85 percent ethanol, an alcohol fuel made by fermenting plant-based sugars, and 15 percent gasoline. It runs about 20 cents cheaper than gasoline, which offsets the up to 25 percent decrease in fuel economy you get with flexible-vehicles' that run on E85.
Ethanol often is made from corn, but it also can be made from cellulosic materials such as grass, wood, crop residue and old newspapers.
Olin "Bo" Furr, owner of Monroe Oil, said they decided to offer E85 at the new Fill Good BP on Cuthbertson Road in Waxhaw because the company believes it will be successful in this part of Union County, which has a higher concentration of flexible-fuel vehicles.
The E85 pump is part of Centralina Clean Fuels Coalition's Carolina Blue Skies Project, which is administering $2 million from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to expand the use of alternative fuel vehicles and refueling infrastructures across the Carolinas.
The Blue Skies Project is partnering with five groups, including Duke Energy and Time Warner Cable, but Monroe Oil is the only partner using the money to install an E85 pump.
You may have seen flexible-fuel vehicles on the road - they often are distinguishable by yellow gas caps and a logo on the back.
American automakers now produce about 40 styles of flexible-fuel vehicles, including the Chevrolet Impala LSCh, the Chevrolet Suburban 1500 4WD and the Dodge Ram 1500 4WD.
For more information, visit www.cleanfuels.com.
