Indianapolis Race Series Switches from Methanol to Ethanol

May 2007
The Indianapolis 500 launches a new era in racing - All IndyCars now run 100 percent Ethanol Racing Fuel having starting the switch-over from Methanol 100 in 2005.
Indy 500 begins running E100 at 91st annual race.
The pure ethanol racing fuel will be produced by a Renova Energy biodiesel refinery in Wyoming.
The 2006 season will not be the first time ethanol fuel has powered a car in the famed Indianapolis 500 series race. The 11th Indianapolis 500, held in 1927, featured a car driven by Leon Duray which was fueled by ethyl (grain) alcohol.

Frequently asked questions about Ethanol

What is Ethanol?

Q: Does ethanol clog fuel filters?

A: In early test trials, ethanol was put into older vehicles with fuel systems that had become varnished during normal use with gasoline. Varnish generally only accumulates in fuel systems or containers which see little or no use. Ethanol removes this varnish from the tanks, fuel lines, and carburetors which is then captured by the fuel filter. Once the fuel system was clean and the filter replaced, this issue was resolved. Today’s gasolines contain detergents which help keep fuel systems cleaner and, in most cases, when ethanol fuel is added to a clean fuel system, there is little (if any) varnish in the fuel system and filters are less likely to become clogged.


Q: Is the ethanol myth true that ethanol is bad for certain gasoline fuel system components, fuel pumps and carburetors?

A: Early versions of some elastomers (rubber-like parts) and metal fuel system components were subject to deterioration over time; manufacturers quickly began to change these fuel system components to be compatible with ethanol fuel. From time to time, this myth enjoys circulation, but it is not true. Today, all vehicle manufacturers, domestic and foreign, approve* the use of ethanol fuels.


Q: Does the use of ethanol-blended fuel cause a decrease in fuel mileage?

A: There are many variables that contribute to fuel mileage, such as the season, the weather, and traffic conditions, that only an average miles per gallon can be determined. Current information derived from controlled environmental testing suggests that fuel injected vehicles may experience a decrease in mileage by approximately 2%. A carbureted vehicle that averages 30 MPG on the highway might average 29.4 MPG using ethanol-blended fuel; a small price to pay for a cleaner environment.


Q: Will ethanol-blended fuel attract moisture to my fuel system?

A: All of today’s automotive fuel systems are closed systems and are less prone to attracting moisture. Ethanol absorbs moisture that is in a fuel system and carries it out in suspension as it is consumed. The most likely, and quite rare, cause for water in gasoline today would be from condensation in service station storage tanks. If the concentration of water in ethanol becomes excessive, it will separate and fall to the bottom of the fuel tank. When ethanol fuel is used in winter months, a fuel de-icer is not required.

More Frequently asked questions about Ethanol

A History of Ethanol

Ethanol Pre-History

Ethanol has been used by humans since prehistory as the intoxicating ingredient in alcoholic beverages. Dried residues on 9000-year-old pottery found in northern China imply the use of alcoholic beverages even among Neolithic peoples. Its isolation as a relatively pure compound was first achieved by Islamic alchemists who developed the art of distillation during the Abbasid caliphate, the most notable of whom was Al-Razi. The writings attributed to Jabir Ibn Hayyan (Geber) (721-815) mention the flammable vapors of boiled wine. Al-Kindī (801-873) unambiguously described the distillation of wine. Distillation of ethanol from water yields a product that is at most 96% ethanol, because ethanol forms an azeotrope with water. Absolute ethanol was first obtained in 1796 by Johann Tobias Lowitz, by filtering distilled ethanol through charcoal.

Antoine Lavoisier described ethanol as a compound of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, and in 1808, Nicolas-Théodore de Saussure determined ethanol's chemical formula. In 1858, Archibald Scott Couper published a structural formula for ethanol: this places ethanol among the first chemical compounds to have their chemical structures determined.

Ethanol was first prepared synthetically in 1826, through the independent efforts of Henry Hennel in Britain and S.G. Sérullas in France. Michael Faraday prepared ethanol by the acid-catalysed hydration of ethylene in 1828, in a process similar to that used for industrial ethanol synthesis today.

In Promotion of Ethanol

Also known as ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol made from corn, Ethanol is a flammable and colorless chemical compound, which can also be used as a biodegradable fuel additive. The renewable alternative fuel is an alcohol fuel mixture of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, by volume; Ethanol derived from crops (bioethanol) is a biofuel. E85 is an alternative fuel blend made up of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, hence the name “E85”. E85 is a clean-burning, high-octane fuel, and a versatile solvent which mixes easily with water and most organic liquids. Most new cars sold in Brazil, and many newer domestic vehicles are flexible-fuel vehicles that can run on ethanol, gasoline, or any mixture of the two.

In the United States, current ethanol / gasoline blends are at a mere 10% ethanol, commonly known as "gasohol" and is widely sold throughout the U.S. Midwest, which contains the nation's chief corn-growing centers.

Ethanol E85 Pumps The largest single use of ethanol is as a motor fuel and fuel additive with the largest national fuel ethanol industries in Brazil and the United States. The Brazilian ethanol industry is based on sugarcane; as of 2004, Brazil produces 14 billion liters annually, enough to replace about 40% of its gasoline demand.

The United States fuel ethanol industry is based largely on corn. As of 2005, its capacity is 15 billion liters annually, although the Energy Policy Act of 2005 requires U.S. fuel ethanol production to increase to 7.5 billion gallons (28 billion liters) by 2012.

In 2005, the Indy Racing League announced its cars will run on a 10% ethanol - 90% methanol blend fuel, and starting in 2007, the indy cars will race on 100% ethanol.