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Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/147382
COVER STORY By Kris Kiser Ethanol Education What you need to know and what you need to tell your customers T o be sure, most consumers do not understand the intricacies of how our fuel choices are set to change in the United States. For example, when consumers were asked about the 15-percent ethanol (E15) gasoline blend by AAA, the biggest U.S. driving organization, 95 percent of consumers were unaware of this fuel choice. Many would argue that many consumers are not even aware that the current fuel on the market contains 10-percent ethanol (E10). Any attempt to educate consumers about the changing fuels market 14 OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT How did we get here? In an effort to meet federal renewable fuel standards put in motion by the 2007 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program created under the Energy Policy Act (EPAct), higher ethanol blends are being brought on the market. The reason is that underlying RFS assumptions made in 2007 haven't held true: Flex-fuel vehicles that use E85 have not expanded rapidly enough; flex-fuel automobile owners are choosing not to use high ethanol content fuel; gasoline demand has not continued to increase, but is in fact falling; and advanced and cellulosic fuels are not commercially available as had been predicted. While there are efforts underway in the Courts and in Congress by all engine makers and engine product manufacturers to stop the introduction of mid-level ethanol fuels, the OPE industry needs to prepare for one alarming fact: By law, all outdoor power equipment is neither designed nor warranted to run on any fuel containing more than 10-percent ethanol. For outdoor power equipment and other off-road engine equipment, ethanol has proven problematic in levels above 10 percent, and thus is not legal to use. When a small number of retail gas stations in select U.S. states began offering E15 for sale in 2012, as well as the expansion of blender pumps that dispense midethanol blends, the OPE industry grew concerned and knew it had to act fast. OPEI and the industry are not anti-ethanol; however, the industry recognizes that higher ethanol fuel can damage outdoor power equipment. We want to protect our current and future customers from inadvertently damaging their equipment by using the wrong fuel. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has stated that E15-and-higher ethanol blends are not legal for use in off-road engine products, and only legal for a subset of automobiles.Yet, the only warning against "misfueling" is a small (3-inch by 3-inch) pump label. Given most consumers are unaware of even the current 10-percent ethanol level in their fuel, the odds of using the wrong fuel are heightened. It's incumbent upon manufacturers and dealers to help www.outdoorpowerequipment.com Image credit: http://www.123rf.com/photo_16877699_bio-concept-fuel-from-corn.html is daunting. But, the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) — with the support of its membership and dealer network — will be taking on this Herculean task in the second half of 2013. The fact is that higher ethanol fuel blends are entering the marketplace, and they are not meant for outdoor power equipment and small-engine products, such as mowers, chain saws, snow throwers, generators, utility vehicles, or other lawn and landscape equipment. OPE owners and purchasers need to become clear on the correct fuel for which their equipment was designed, built, and warranted — and use only that fuel.