If you’ve pulled up to a gas pump recently, you might have noticed a little sign either on the pump or nearby: “Gas Contains 10% Ethanol,” or “This station includes ethanol in all grades of gasoline sold here.” While most people might not take notice of it, I do–and it angers me every time I see it, because I know I’m getting swindled.

Wait, What?

Yes, I said “swindled.” Ethanol is included in just about every station’s gas these days, but I have consistently found that it reduces my fuel economy by nearly 3 mpg (from 28 to 25-26). And I’m still having to pay for it as if it’s pure gas–I only get maybe 2 cents off per gallon compared to pure gas. If that’s not a swindle, I don’t know what is.

What Is Ethanol, Anyway?

According to Wikipedia, ethanol is a corn-based fuel, meant for “flexible-fuel” vehicles, but in low concentrations (10% or lower), it’s seemingly safe to mix in with regular gasoline.

But I Thought Ethanol Was a “Greener” Choice?

Well, it kinda is and it kinda isn’t. It’s not a fossil fuel like pure gasoline, sure. And yes, it uses corn, a somewhat more “renewable resource.” But it also burns less efficiently than pure gas does in a gas-designed car, therefore reducing the MPG you get per tank. Also, growing corn solely for producing ethanol would reduce land area for growing food.

Wikipedia’s article, linked above, says that ethanol only reduces mileage by 3%, but I believe it’s much higher than that, since my little Ford Focus ZX3 gets only 25-26 city MPG with ethanol-infused gas, and 28 city MPG with pure gas. (I’ve tested it several times, accounting for tire pressure, driving habits, and other car maintenance; the only difference is the fuel, and that same 2-3 MPG difference shows up every time I have to buy ethanol fuel.) This is the equivalent of feeding my kid nothing but fruit and Chinese noodles; an hour later the kid is hungry again (and I would be, too).

Now, a few say that ethanol is cleaner for air and better for environment, which it may indeed be if we all switch over to vehicles that can use pure ethanol, perhaps. But an overwhelming majority of the articles I read in my research attest that ethanol, especially when blended into otherwise pure gas, is not a cost-saving or environment-saving maneuver.

For instance, Cato.org reports that ethanol will make us use more crop land, is more expensive than gas, will actually raise gas prices, is not renewable, increases smog, and costs more to produce. The New York Times seconds that assessment, and the Washington Post thirds it, with recounts of people’s negative experiences with using ethanol, especially in small engines like lawnmowers. The Washington Post’s article even mentions power equipment failing when given ethanol-infused fuel!

The Most Infuriating Thing

Not only is ethanol bad for little engines and raising costs of ethanol-blended fuel due to subsidies, but it also is just as expensive as pure gas, at least around my hometown.

Though the article I just linked to says that ethanol gas is often 25-40 cents cheaper per gallon than pure gas, I have not found that to be the case. Between the pure-gas and the ethanol-gas sellers, there’s only usually a 2-3 cent difference between the two, and that’s in many places in and near my hometown. Same money, less MPG. What does R-I-P-O-F-F spell?

How Can We Change This?

I know that we need to have an energy economy less dependent on fossil fuels, and we need to have fuels that don’t clog and smog the air up. But there’s got to be something out there besides adding something to gasoline that makes the mileage go DOWN, making demand for gasoline go UP and usage go UP. Plus, there’s got to be a way to protect smaller engines–since pure gas is so hard to find these days, I have to buy ethanol-infused gas, and I don’t want to have to pay for an expensive engine repair later because of it. I don’t know squat about economics or resource management, but adding ethanol seems a little counterintuitive when you consider these effects.

Personally, till we can figure out what to do about ethanol gas, I’m going to seek out the few non-ethanol-infused gas stations near me (pure-gas.org has a list of all the pure-gas sellers all across America), and try to keep my little car fueled with satisfying real gas. Maybe if enough of us raise a fuss about it, something will get done!