IRVINE, Calif. -- Possibly as early as next week, the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on a bill that would dramatically increase the number of gas stations with ethanol (or E85) fuel pumps nationwide. And according to a just-completed series of polls conducted across the Autobytel online network, a "yes" vote would have the support of most Americans.
Some 51% of poll participants said the government should pay for the expansion of E85 pumps across the nation, while only 28% said it shouldn't. The remainder said they were not informed enough to [image-nocss] vote. And when asked to name the single best thing the government could do to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil, 32% (the second largest group of respondents) advocated funding E85 pumps at more gas stations. This outpaced the 22% who proposed the "quicker fix" of raising Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAF a) standards or the 12% who prioritized increasing the tax incentive for hybrid vehicle buyers and trailed only the 35% who proposed a more general approach of funding research for alternative fuel technologies.
But while car shoppers may be pinning a lot of hope on ethanol as an energy solution, at least some of this optimism may stem from some very basic misconceptions about the fuel, Autobytel said. Nearly half (47%) of the car shoppers polled by Autobytel thought they would spend less to drive with E85 fuel, while only 32% understood that they would, Autobytel claimed, spend significantly more versus gasoline for the same amount of driving, and that ethanol delivers worse fuel mileage than gasoline, it also claimed.
The survey results suggest, said Autobytel, that U.S. automakers' marketing of ethanol-capable vehicles may become a harder sell as drivers become aware of E85 costs. Not surprisingly, 62% of the shoppers surveyed by Autobytel said they wouldn't pay a penny more, per mile of driving, to achieve ethanol's potential benefits of increased fuel independence and improved emissions.
As part of its "Clearing the Air" series at Autobytel.com, the Irvine, Calif.-based web automotive marketplace, is trying to educate auto consumers about emerging fuel-efficient and alternative-fuel vehicle options and helping to dispel common misconceptions about E85/flex-fuel vehicles.
Other survey findings:
65% of car shoppers agree that we are in the midst of an "energy crisis," similar to that during the 1970's. When asked to describe their general impression of hybrid vehicles, 39% replied "too expensive for the hybrid benefit" and an additional 28% selected "not a real solution, more of a statement." 72% think that Congress should raise fuel economy standards for the automakers.Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.