The most widely used alternative transportation fuel is ethanol. Ethanol is an alcohol usually made from corn or corn by-products, using a process similar to brewing beer. Vehicles that run on ethanol have less carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide emissions than conventional vehicles.
In the USA, on mixture over 1.5 billion gallons of ethanol to gasoline each year to produce E10 (10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline.) E10 can be used in the Most vehicles we drive on the roads today. Accordingly, we are already using E10 across the country to improve vehicle performance and reduce air pollution.
Today, we also have some vehicles that can use a larger mixture of ethanol – up to 85 percent – called e85. These vehicles, known as flexible fuel vehicles can use E85, gasoline or any mixture of both. E85 is available in many parts of the country, but mainly in the midwest.