Oil industry launches full-scale assault on ethanol, says it's "worse than tar sands"

[happyslug]

9. 20 years ago that was true, not any longer

Most cars today can use 15% alcohol for the simple reason with modern microprocessors it is possible to adjust the fuel air combination based on how the fuel is burning WITHOUT any input from the driver (The microprocessors does it automatically unlike old fashioned carburetors that had to be adjusted manually when you switched fuels).

The only real restriction is many cars still use hose lines that can NOT take 100% Alcohol (Through this is changing due to the increase number of cars that can use 100% Alcohol). Alcohol increase rust and other problems related to water in the lines, but again, most of these concerns were addressed over the last 10-20 years as more and more areas used Alcohol instead of MTBE to enhance combustion and reduce summer time air pollution. Car makers had to adjust to this fact, and did so by upgrading their fuel lines and the rest of the engine to handle the increase level of water in the system when Alcohol is involved, not a problem with MODERN cars (Cars made since the 1990s for example).