One thing I really enjoy is corn on the cob.\u00a0 It is a summer staple. \u00a0It goes as well with hamburgers as hotdogs or is a meal all by itself. \u00a0One can never have enough corn on the cob during any season.<\/p>\n
Now in many states, the local governments have mandated the use of ethanol fuel in our cars.\u00a0 In essence, we are taking the food we eat right off our tables and burning it in our cars as gas.\u00a0 It is supposed \u201cto be good\u201d for the planet.<\/p>\n
Got to ask: what’s wrong with this picture?<\/p>\n
Before the government made us burn ethanol, I burned regular gas in my 2001 Toyota Camry.\u00a0 With regular gas, my Camry religiously made 31 mpg and on a good many road trips, the mileage actually went better than 34 mpg.<\/p>\n
I have the fuel logs to verify the information.\u00a0 They are complete, dating all the way to the day I purchased the car with 13,009 miles on the odometer to last week when I filled up at 281,308 miles.\u00a0 Ask me what the price of gas might have been at any time in the last eight years and I can tell you the price to the 1\/10th of a penny.\u00a0 I can also show you the exact true mileage performance of the Camry.<\/p>\n
And I can show you the precise moment the government forced me to buy corn to power my car.\u00a0 Ever since the third tank of ethanol, my check engine light illuminated and stays on permanently.<\/p>\n
Many of the \u201cenvironmentalists\u201d will say burning ethanol is necessary and the loss of efficiency is no big deal.\u00a0 So the mileage is down a little and we no longer have corn to eat, they might retort.\u00a0 Well, I do think it is a big deal as do many others.<\/p>\n
What does it mean in dollars?<\/p>\n
Well, using my Camry as an example, here is the real breakdown.\u00a0 Assuming I drive another quarter million miles, the difference between 28 mpg and 31 mpg is significant.\u00a0 If, over the years it takes to drive another 250,000 miles and the price of gas averages $3.50 per gallon, the difference between 28 mpg and 31 mpg becomes $3,026.<\/p>\n
Or, in more understandable terms, it will take 56 more fill-ups to travel the same distance on ethanol as on regular gas.\u00a0 If it takes another seven years to accrue the next quarter million miles, that is eight more stops at the gas pumps at $56 a fill up, for another $450 per year.\u00a0 Or an average of $38 more per month.\u00a0 After paying for my ethanol, I probably won\u2019t have money left over to buy any corn.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Wait, there\u2019s no corn to buy anyway.\u00a0<\/p>\n
-30-<\/p>\n
\u00a9 2010 J. Clark<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One thing I really enjoy is corn on the cob.\u00a0 It is a summer staple. \u00a0It goes as well with hamburgers as hotdogs or is a meal all by itself. \u00a0One can never have enough corn on the cob during … Continue reading