Since
April 2, 2006, most gasoline in Hawaii has be required by State law to contain 10%
ethanol.
Consumer brochures about the use of ethanol blended gasoline in automobiles (PDF file, 884 kb) and gasoline-powered equipment (PDF file, 761 kb) are available here.
Although we still call it "gasoline," fuel for today's cars is more accurately described as "Automotive Spark-Ignition Engine Fuel." It contains a variety of additives to enhance performance, reduce emissions, and protect engines. Ethanol, in quantities up to 10%, is a common component of today's automotive fuel.
Gasoline containing ethanol is available in most states. Virtually all of the gasoline in Minnesota (since 1997); and New York, Connecticut, and California (since 2003), contains up to 10% ethanol.
A four-page fact sheet (PDF file, 93 kb) on ethanol fuel use in other states -- and its potential for Hawaii -- is available here.
Ethanol is a clear liquid made by distilling simple sugars produced from crops such as corn, wheat and sugar. Because ethanol is made from plants that harness the power of the sun, it is considered a renewable fuel. Fuel ethanol's chemical makeup is identical to that of beverage alcohols, therefore it is denatured in order to make it unfit for drinking.
The three major types of ethanol fuels are:
E10: This is the most commonly used ethanol-blended fuel, containing 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline. All automobile manufacturers approve the use of E10 in vehicles sold in the United States. Since up to 10% ethanol is a normal component of today's automotive fuel, it is accurate to refer to E-10 as "regular gasoline," "midgrade gasoline," or "premium gasoline," based on its octane rating.
E95: Anhydrous (dry) ethanol which has been denatured (usually with about 5% gasoline) to make it unfit for human consumption.
E85: An alternative fuel, consisting of 85% ethanol with 15% gasoline, for use in Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFVs, sometimes also known as Variable Fuel Vehicles). Flexible fuel vehicles are able to run on E85, plain gasoline, or any combination of the two. A flexible fuel vehicle has a sensor in the fuel line which instantaneously adjusts the engine's air:fuel ratio and timing to operate smoothly and seamlessly on any blend of gasoline and ethanol up to 85%. Currently, there are more than 4 million FFVs on the road in the United States, and over 400 E85 refueling stations.
Many consumers are not aware that their vehicles can run on gasoline containing 10% ethanol. The fact is that all automobile manufacturers selling vehicles in North America approve the use of E10 fuel in these vehicles. Some manufacturers even recommend the use of ethanol-blended fuel because of its environmental benefits.
These are the three documents most requested by people concerned about using E-10 in their cars:
- 4 page fact sheet that shows that gasoline containing ethanol is being used all across the US, and has been for many years:
http://www.hawaii.gov/dbedt/ert/new-fuel/files/E10-4pagefactsheet070426.pdf
In some states and large metropolitan areas, all of the gasoline contains ethanol,
and has for several years. Gasoline containing up to 10% ethanol has been
available in over 42 states for more than 10 years, and in over 25 states for more than 24 years.
- 7 page paper on the use of modern fuels in classic cars:
http://www.hawaii.gov/dbedt/ert/new-fuel/files/DAI960501classic.pdf
"Owners of classic vehicles have unique considerations. Their vehicle's fuel system may differ significantly from those of modern vehicles. The car is usually not driven often and is stored for long periods..."
"The gasolines made today, whether conventional, oxygenated, or reformulated, differ somewhat from those available when vintage/classic cars were first produced. However the principles of combustion remain the same in all vehicles and today's gasolines continue to meet the ASTM performance guidelines. By exercising a reasonable amount of care, especially regarding extended storage, the classic auto owner can run yesterday's car on today's fuel."
- Interviews (conducted in 1994) with the folks in Colorado who, in 1987, had the first oxygenated fuel requirement: http://www.hawaii.gov/dbedt/ert/new-fuel/files/ewg/co-intrvws.pdf
"We have cars that are 1960. We have a very old vehicle mix. That was another concern. Our cars don't rust nearly as frequently. We don't use salts for the winter. We have, a good example, right now 350,000 vehicles that are pre-81 vehicles that operate in Denver. We have an older than the normal population of vehicles in the country. So there were a lot of concerns if a '62, '63 Chevy pick-up truck wasn't going to run or wasn't going to go as far as it could and things like that. It didn't happen. It just didn't happen."
On February 9, 2006, an Ethanol Progress Report Workshop was held in Honolulu at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center. Topics included:
- POLICY (State Energy Policy, National Energy Policy, USDA Renewable Energy Initiatives, Agriculture in the State of Hawaii, Biomass Assessment);
- ETHANOL FUEL OVERVIEW (Ethanol Use in the U.S., E-10 and Your Car);
- FUEL REGULATIONS (Ethanol Content Requirement; Hawaii's Gasoline Specifications; Gasoline Price Regulation; Underground Storage Tank Program);
- E-10 PROGRESS REPORT (Infrastructure Preparation: Refinery, Terminals, and Service Stations); and
- ETHANOL FUEL PRODUCTION (Maui Ethanol, Kauai Ethanol, Clear Fuels, Oahu Ethanol)
Ethanol can be made in Hawaii from a variety of locally-available materials, including sugarcane molasses, yard and wood waste, or food waste, to name a few. Creating a local ethanol industry will reduce Hawaii's dependence on imported petroleum, create new employment opportunities in the islands, and help preserve existing agricultural jobs.
Ethanol, whether made in Hawaii or elsewhere, is a renewable fuel. Its use has the potential to diversify our energy sources and eventually reduce our ground transportation system's nearly complete dependence on petroleum from politically unstable areas of the world.
Gasoline without ethanol is available* on:
- Molokai;
- Lanai;
- on the Big Island:
- at Honokohau Harbor (Mauna Kea Petroleum);
- at Mountain View Gas & Go
- on Maui:
- at the Lahaina Fuel Dock (open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mon-Fri)
- phone 661-0191; Web site www.lahainayachtclub.org
- on Oahu:
- in Kaneohe, at the Deli at Heeia Pier (open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week)
phone 235-2192
- at the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor Fuel Dock (open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week)
phone 955-8160- at Elmer's Gliders and Sailplanes, Dillingham airfield (open from approximately sunrise / 6 a.m. to sunset / 6 p.m.)
- at Rainbow Bay Marina, Pearl Harbor (military only; 9:30 am - 5:30 pm seven days a week)
phone: 473-0284
- at Ko Olina Marina (open 24 hours per day, seven days per week; requires credit card for purchase)
phone: 676-3348; Web site: www.koolinamarina.com- at Keehi Marine Center, 24 Sand Island Access Road (open weekdays, 8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.; closed weekends; minimum purchase of 20 gallons without a KMC fuel account)
phone: 845-6465; Web site www.keehimarine.com
* Please note:
- Locations and hours are subject to change without notice.
- It has been suggested that consumers call in advance of visiting any location to get up-to-date instructions for purchasing small amounts of non-ethanol gasoline.
- If you know of other locations (or restrictions), please select the "contact us" tab above to tell us about it.
The FAA has strict regulations in place that require only aviation grade fuels be used in certificated aircraft. There are supplemental type certificates (STC) in use that allow some "properly altered" aircraft to utilize automotive grade fuels that meet certain STM standards.
The pilots/owners of the aircraft where automotive fuel STCs are incorporated have the responsibility to ensure the automotive fuel they use meets those STM standards. Compliance with this requirement is mandatory.
It should be noted that there are several aircraft operating in Hawaii that operate under 14 CFR 103 regulations (ultralight aircraft) and aircraft that have been issued experimental airworthiness certificates (homebuilts).
Hawaii's local FAA safety officer has presented information at General Aviation Safety Meetings (WINGS) that Hawaii's automotive fuels are likely not to meet the required STM standards.
All airmen are reminded that it is their responsibility to ensure the grade of fuel they use in their aircraft meets the regulatory standards specified for their aircraft.
Airmen may direct their queries to the local FAA safety office, (808) 837-8335, and may view pertinent FAA Advisory Circulars and regulations at the FAA website, faa.gov, for example:
- CE 07-06.pdf, "Alcohol (ethanol or methanol) present in the automobile gasoline," dated 10/27/2006
- AC 91-33A.pdf, "Use of Alternate Grades of Aviation Gasoline for Grade 80/87, and Use of Automotive Gasoline," dated 7/18/1984
- AC 21-21.pdf, "Use of Automotive Gasoline in Agricultural Aircraft," dated 8/24/1984
- AC 20-43c.pdf, "Aircraft Fuel Control," dated 10/20/1976
Gasoline without ethanol is available* on:
* Please note:
- Locations and hours are subject to change without notice.
- It has been suggested that consumers call in advance of visiting any location to get up-to-date instructions for purchasing small amounts of non-ethanol gasoline.
- If you know of other locations (or restrictions), please select the "contact us" tab above to tell us about it.
Q: I heard that if the gas gets mixed with water it will become contaminated. If that is true, what can I do to prevent that from happening on my boat?
A: Dear Boater:
Not sure how the water is getting into your fuel tank. It’s recommended that water be kept out of fuel tanks.
If there is water in there, it’s recommended that it be removed.
If you start with a clean, water-free tank, and large quantities of water are not getting in there, the ethanol will actually help to keep the system dry by absorbing small amounts of water (up to 0.5%) and carrying it out of the system.
The next recommendation has to do with fuel handling and storage – fuel should always be kept clean, dry, and fresh.
If storing the boat for an extended period, follow the manufacturer’s instructions on storage. Some manufacturers recommend emptying the fuel tank; others recommend adding a fuel stabilizer and filling it all the way up.
Another recommendation goes back to the question of how water is getting in there. It is recommended that the system be checked to see if the design allows water to collect in a place where it can be pulled into the tank. For example, if the filler is in the middle of a flat top tank where the top can form a depression and water/rain collects around the cap, changes in weather temperatures can cause the tank to expand and contract, pulling the water in.
Q: I've heard that some boaters are concerned about use of the E-10 in their older fiberglass tanks. Is there also a concern about underground storage tanks made of fiberglass?
A: No. The materials compatibility concerns with boat tanks are specific to boats, and do not affect underground storage tanks. This article http://www.fiberglasstankandpipe.com/ethanol.htm includes dates on when Underwriters Laboratories (UL) began including ethanol-blended gasoline in their tests:
"..the UL Listing for fiberglass tanks and piping included ethanol in 1981 and 1988 respectively (i. e., UL 1316 and UL 971). Thus in 1978, when gasohol was first introduced, there were some 100,000 fiberglass USTs in conventional gasoline service before the UL Listing process included gasohol in their compatibility testing protocol. Therefore, the early users of fiberglass tanks and piping (i.e. major oil companies) and fiberglass tank and pipe manufacturers conducted independent studies to determine the effect of gasohol on the fiberglass material used for in-service USTs. It was
determined that the fiberglass components used in pre-1981 tanks and pre-1988 piping were essentially the same as those subjected to UL compatibility testing and there was no technical reason to believe that the older USTs were not gasohol compatible. Later in 1992, Owens Corning, the manufacturer of the oldest fiberglass tanks, advised certain major oil companies that tanks were reaching 30-years of age and the warranties were expiring. As a result, the affected companies conducted surveys of these older tanks, including tanks in alcohol service (e. g., Midwest) and confirmed that the tanks were satisfactory for continued service. Thus, in summary, technical evaluations and historical experience are evidence that there is no material or technical reason why properly installed pre-1988 piping and tanks in conventional or MTBE service should not perform equally as well when handling 10% ethanol blends."