Increasing use of ethanol fuel has sparked interest in some motorists for E85 conversion kits, which are designed to enable a gasoline powered car to run on ethanol. However, concerns regarding mechanical problems, pollution, and legality have prevented widespread use of such conversion kits in the United States.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy website, converting a car or other vehicle to run on E85 is in violation of federal law. It states that conversion kits which were sold in the past were determined by the Environmental Protection Agency to produce more emissions than unconverted vehicles. It also indicates that new conversion kits can still be tested and approved by the government, but none have received approval.

There is additional interest in E85 car conversion kits in Minnesota, where ethanol is in widespread use and there are many stations offering it. A press release from the Minnesota state government in June, 2007 indicated that the governor had announced that there will be testing of ethanol conversion kits at the Minnesota State University, and encouraged the EPA to permit their eventual usage. The release pointed out that many vehicles in Brazil were converted to use E85.

For now, it appears that some of the other alternative fuels are preferable for motorists who desire to convert a car to run on a different fuel. Fueleconomy.gov indicates diesel and gasoline vehicles can be converted to run on CNG or propane. Biodiesel can be used in many newer diesel vehicles, and older models are often converted to run on it. You can use GasWatch.info to check E85 ethanol prices in your area, along with the prices of gasoline and diesel.

Cars powered with CNG, or Compressed Natural Gas, offer a number of benefits in comparison to gasoline and diesel vehicles. CNG powered automobiles don’t generate as much pollution, use less expensive energy, and consume fuel from domestic sources. Some cars which run on compressed natural gas also have greater fuel efficiency.

CNG is very beneficial for the environment in comparison to other fuels; according to fueleconomy.gov, it is among the cleanest fuels for automobiles, produces sixty to ninety percent less “smog-producing pollutants”, and generates thirty to forty percent fewer “greenhouse gas emissions.” It also indicates that eighty-seven percent of compressed natural gas used domestically comes from the United States; in addition to increasing national self-reliance, this reduces pollution generated by transporting fuel longer distances.

It is also less expensive to purchase compressed natural gas, according to the Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuel Report (March 2007); it lists CNG as having a lower national average price than gasoline, diesel, biodiesel, ethanol, and propane. The same report states that “CNG is about 36 cents less than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis.” NREL.gov’s Alternative Fuel Station Locator shows that most states have at least a couple CNG stations, but they are most concentrated on the east and west coasts. According to wikipedia.org, the natural gas powered version of the Honda Civic sedan has better mileage than gasoline cars of the same model, although trunk space is reduced because of the larger gas tank.

In general, despite reduced fuel tank capacity and lesser availability of different models, CNG powered cars have many significant benefits both economically and environmentally.

With growing interest in the benefits of using compressed natural gas (CNG) to power automobiles, some vehicle owners have considered CNG conversion. Both gasoline and diesel vehicles can be converted to run on compressed natural gas, which is less expensive and mostly produced domestically.

The Natural Renewable Energy Laboratory issued a detailed report on the federal government’s own experiences with vehicle conversion after about nine-hundred federal trucks, vans, and other autos were converted. It found that changes in emissions varied depending upon the type of vehicle, with compressed natural gas conversion generally bringing about reduction in some emission types but increases in others.

The report stated that a vehicle which was originally designed to run on CNG (not converted) was tested and compared, giving substantially better environmental results. The report concluded that converted vehicles helped reduce usage of imported fuel, despite their questionable environmental status. A report on cleanairnet.org also indicated that emissions are not generally reduced by vehicles which have undergone conversion.

According to energy.gov, it tends to be less costly to fuel a compressed natural gas powered vehicle. However, the cost of conversion is somewhat expensive. The same website indicates that converting an automobile to run on CNG costs about $2,000-4,000 dollars. Still, this is much less expensive than purchasing new CNG vehicles to replace them.

Overall, although there is some question about the environmental benefits of vehicles converted to run on compressed natural gas, they increase national self-sufficiency by reducing the need for imported oil, as well as decreasing operating costs.