How much does it cost to convert a car to run on ethanol?

Question

How much does it cost to convert a car to run on ethanol?

Answer 1

Ethanol burns up small engines like lawn mowers and such, I haven't heard of any 'car conversion kits' needed to run ethanol. Back in the 80's they claimed the fuel was interchangeable in cars....EXCEPT for those cars requiring leaded gasoline. it only worked well in regular gas running vehicles.

But...you'll have to also realize that the more you use ethanol, the more you support the industry, and ethanol is very heavily subsidized by the government. 45 cents per gallon from birth to use last I read, and that's just to make it affordable to people to compete with gasoline. It also is 30% less powerful, so you might burn more volume than you would gasoline per tank.

Not to mention the rise in food costs and other controversy over ethanol production and use.

Answer 2

that depends on what needs to be done. for instance if you are converting say a 66 mustang to run on ethanol, then you need to replace the rubber fuel lines, fuel pump and carburettor, as well as replace any plastic in the system, with items designed for use with alcohol. the fuel lines and fuel pump, as well as the fuel filter and any plastic items are cheap to replace. the carburettor on the other hand usually runs about $500-$600 each, but these are carbs modified for use with alcohol.

for a fuel injected vehicle, again any fuel lines that are not alcohol compatible need replacing, the fuel injectors need replacing with larger ones, and the computer needs to be replaced if it cant be reflashed. this can run as much as $1500 when all is said and done.

a fuel injected car can be converted to a flex fuel vehicle by changing any needed fuel lines, adding a flex fuel sensor, replacing the injectors, and either replacing or reflashing the computer. this can also run about $1500 as well.

Answer 3

The question for me is why? Ethanol is a horrible fuel to power autos. It is NOT more environmentally friendly than gasoline. Nor is it safer for humans to use than Gas. If your car got 20mpg on gas, it will get about 12mpg on ethanol, as ethanol has about 40% less power/gallon than gasoline. Ethanol also takes more power to produce than it produces when used as a fuel. While corn products are not the only source for ethanol, it is a primary source, and corn is better used as a fuel for humans than vehicles.

Answer 4

Ethanol is no good. Its wasteful and uneconomical