e85 Ethanol Alternative Fuel

Very indirectly, at least, and only for a couple of lucky turkeys.

Today, President Bush granted two turkeys full presidential pardons to "May" and "Flower" at the yearly Thanksgiving pardon.

The reason why this makes ethanol news is because these two turkeys were brought to the ceremony in a Flex-fueled Ford F-150. Ford explained that the F-150 used to transport the two turkeys was fueled with E85.

Ford is supporting the use and production of alternative renewable fuels such as ethanol. Ford also promises to make millions of vehicles that run on E85 as a way of reducing U.S. dependency on importing oil from overseas. When Congress returns from its Thanksgiving holiday in December, it is expected to review an energy bill that increases the required fuel efficiency of vehicles by as much as 40 percent, or 35 miles per gallon.

This bill is most likely a long shot but perhaps we should begin to say good bye to our Hummers.

Orange county choppers revealed a very green chopper, a first of its kind. This chopper runs on e85 ethanol. It was the first one that they have built which only uses e85.

Some of the features from the bike are as follows:

Wind Turbine Spokes
Here's where the Teutuls paid homage to the wind. Iowa ranks third in the nation for wind power, with over 900 wind turbines across the state, with plans for another 300 more. Right now we can harvest enough wind to power 250,000 Iowa homes. Wind energy is the cleanest renewable energy source and reduces more then 1.5 million tons of carbon dioxide per year.

E85 Gas Cap
This bad boy runs on e85. E85 or 85% ethanol ethanol blended gas burns cleaner, which reduces green house gases, can be grown right here in Iowa and helps increase our energy independence.

Soybean and Corn Paint Detail
Even though the bike runs on e85 and not biodiesel, the Teutuls still wanted to call out Iowa's biodiesel industry. The fuel is clean-burning, biodegradable fuel typically produced from soybeans or animal fat. It is also great for the environment since it reduces sulfur and carbon dioxide emissions.

Corn Head "Scoop"
Orange County Choppers designed the corn-head to represent the part of the machine used to harvest our main crops; the combine. Iowa farmers lead the nation in corn and soybean production and their hard work and dedication make our nation's renewable energy movement a reality.

E-85 Logo
You might see this very same logo at gas stations all around Iowa. If you have a flex-fuel vehicle, this is the fuel to use because 85% of it was made right here in Iowa. If you don't see this logo at your local gas station, be sure to ask them to start selling e85.

Livestock Seat
For ethanol plants to be successful and efficient, having livestock nearby is very important. Cattle eat what's left over from making ethanol: Distillers Grain and Solubles (DGS). By feeding this coproduct to cattle, ethanol plants save money on transportation costs (they don't have to ship it out of state), and livestock farmers save money on feed costs.

Farm Bureau Logo
Why did we have this bike built? Well, as Iowa's largest general agriculture organization, our members expect us to promote and celebrate their efforts on the farm. And what better way then taking all the great things they grow and use for renewable energy and rolling it all into the look and feel of a custom OCC Chopper!

Ethanol Plant Piping Exhaust
These custom pipes were designed to look like some of the pipes used in Iowa's modern ethanol plants that help Iowa the nation's leader in ethanol production.

Can e85 be mixed with regular gasoline?

This question is asked very often. Since e85 is already a mixture of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, it is just fine to mix the two fuels.

Let's say that you fill up with e85 before a trip then continue to your destination. When you are ready to leave, you notice there are no e85 stations around. You have less then half a tank left of e85, and you need to fill up. Filling up your tank with regular gas is just fine for your flex fuel vehicle.

Filling up will regular gas will only dilute the e85 ethanol from the original fill up. With a rough calculation, if you have half a tank of e85 and fill up with regular gas, you will have approximately 40 percent ethanol and 60 percent gasoline in your tank.

If your vehicle is a flex fuel vehicle, it will be able to take any combination of e85 and gasoline.