LYNCHBURG, Va. - Candy
Burnett is part of a growing number of drivers who only fill up with
ethanol-free gasoline. "It€™s good on the car. €¦It€™s better on the engine. It
gets better mileage," she told the Lynchburg
News & Advance.
The vast majority of
gasoline sold in the United States is E10, a blend of gasoline and 10% ethanol.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated that cars filling
up with E10 get 3% to 4% fewer mpg than pure gasoline.
David Johnston, who own
two Big Horn Markets, said E10 use contributes to build-up in engines, which
can be a problem for older cars, motorcycles and high-performance vehicles.
"They need that premium gas," he said. "Recent vehicles can get by on the
regular."
Johnston offers 87 octane
ethanol-free fuel at one store and 93 octane regular gasoline at his other
location, in addition to E10.
Sapan Sachdeva, a partner
at Burley€™s Market, recently started stocking 90 octane ethanol-free gasoline,
which he says is better for small engines like for boats or lawn mowers.
Customers asked for the ethanol-free gasoline, and response has been good.
"It€™s been a week and we€™ve seen quite a demand," he said. "You can already see
people are very excited about it."
The cost of unblended fuel
tends to be higher than E10, but Johnston said customers don€™t mind paying a
little extra because of the perceived benefits to the vehicles. "The people
that are buying it are not really that concerned over it," he said. "They know
they€™re paying more for it, but they believe it€™s a better buy."