Quote:
Originally Posted by 3rd_gear_Ted
Don't want this to go to PARF, but ask yourself why do we need Ethanol?
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Most newer cars don't.
They used to use lead, and then MTBE, to increase octane, but both of them were banned. Lead is poisonous and MTBE contaminated groundwater. So they turned to ethanol to raise the octane. That turned out to be a boon to farmers because it's made from corn and corn is easy to grow as an industrial crop. Compared to growing food for humans, it's a piece of cake. Plus, the government subsidizes its production.
Newer cars with computerized fuel injection, knock sensors, etc for engine management can use lower octane fuel just fine, so they don't need ethanol to boost the octane.
Basically, we have ethanol because some older cars need it and farmers make money producing the corn it's made from.