E15 fuel does not pose a danger to the vast majority of vehicles on U.S. roads

In an effort to address high gas prices, President Joe Biden directed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to issue an emergency waiver and allow gasoline that uses a 15% ethanol blend to be sold this summer.

This type of fuel, commonly called E15, is usually prohibited between June 1 and Sept. 15 because of concerns that it adds to smog in high temperatures, the Associated Press reported. 

On the same day of Biden’s announcement, a Facebook post claimed that  E15 will ruin a car engine.

"Anyone that uses gasoline - sure you heard the gov't will be selling E15 gasoline to lower prices. Do ya'll have any idea what that could do to the internal components of your engine?" the April 12 post said. "Ethanol is a corn by-product, folks, it's proven to gum up and ruin carburetors on all of your 2 and 4 cycle engines...Boy...they really want us to go electric...don't they?"

The post also included a question — "Will E15 gas hurt my engine?" — and this answer: "One of the major complaints by E15 opponents is that ethanol can corrode many of the plastics, metals, and rubber components used in internal-combustion engines and their fuel systems. Hence, using fuel with a higher concentration of ethanol than the manufacturer recommends may damage your vehicle." It concludes: "Save that 10 cents a gallon, but ruin your engine…"

The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

The EPA and an academic study have said that fuel containing 15% ethanol is safe for cars, trucks and sport-utility vehicles made in 2001 or later — which make up more than 90% of the vehicles on U.S. roads.

Since 2011, E15 has been approved by the EPA for use in cars, trucks and SUVs from model year 2001 and later, a decision that followed "many years of extensive tests, making E15 one of the most tested fuels in history prior to its permitted use," according to the EPA. 

In 2013, researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory reviewed 43 studies about E15 use in vehicles from 2001 and later. 

Featured Fact-check

Threads posts

stated on October 23, 2024 in a Threads post

Kamala Harris’ statements about Trump invoking Adolf Hitler were based on a “debunked hoax from The Atlantic.”

"The data presented in these studies did not show any evidence of deterioration in engine durability or maintenance issues for E15… in comparison to E0 and E10," the study said.

And many car manufacturers have okayed the use of E15 fuel in their vehicles made in the past 10 years. According to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association: General Motors says the fuel can be used in vehicles from model year 2012 and later; Ford says model year 2013 and later; and the fuel is also approved for use by Volkswagen, Audi, Toyota, Land Rover, Porsche, Jaguar, Honda and Subaru (though the association did not specify for which model years).

E15 is a blend of 15% ethanol and 85% gasoline, and it is also sold under the name Unleaded 88. While it can be used in many vehicles, it cannot be used in on-highway and non-road motorcycles; vehicles with heavy-duty engines, such as school buses; non-road vehicles like boats;  engines in non-road vehicles such as lawnmowers; light-duty trucks; and medium-duty passenger vehicles, according to the EPA. 

"Most U.S. drivers pump what is known as E10, a fuel blend that contains 90% gasoline and 10% ethanol," according to the Des Moines Register. "Ethanol is a clear alcohol that derives from a manufacturing process that starts with biomass — overwhelmingly, corn starch. E15 is a blend of the fuel that relies on a larger amount of ethanol."

E15 is slightly cheaper than conventional gasoline, but it is not widely available in the U.S.

Out of approximately 150,000 gas stations across the U.S., E15 is sold at about 2,300 stations, the New York Times reported, adding that E15 to be sold in the summer is expected to cost about 10 cents less per gallon than conventional gasoline.

A Facebook post says fuel containing 15% ethanol will ruin a car engine.

The EPA and an academic study have said that fuel containing 15% ethanol is safe for cars, trucks and sport-utility vehicles made in 2001 or later — which make up more than 90% of the vehicles on U.S. roads.

Many car manufacturers have okayed the use of E15 fuel in their vehicles made in the past 10 years. But the fuel may not be safe for the engines of some vehicles on the road.

We rate this claim Mostly False.