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Ethanol

Ethanol is an alcohol-based alternative fuel produced by fermenting and distilling starch crops. Crops for this fuel include corn, barley, and wheat. Ethanol can also be produced from cellulosic biomass such as trees and grasses. It is considered renewable because it is made of plants.

Ethanol is most commonly used to increase octane and improve the emissions quality of gasoline. Ethanol can be mixed with gasoline; a common mixture is E10, which is 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline. Flex-fuel vehicles can run on E85 which is 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. New technology has been developed that can easily convert a conventional petrol-fuel engine to run on any mix of ethanol, even E100.

Police Department Switches to Ethanol

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Nampa, Idaho Police Department Switches to Ethanol

Effective September 1, 2007, the Nampa Police Department is going green and will operate their entire 118 vehicle fleet on ethanol based fuels in all but emergency situations. Currently there are five police vehicles that will run on �E85�, an 85% ethanol mixture. It is anticipated that all 2008 model patrol cars to be purchased will be �E85� certified.