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Convert Your Car To Flex Fuel

Like many of us, I've long suspected that converting a car to flex fuel is probably not too difficult. Otherwise why else was all of Detroit jumping on flex-fuel to meet legislative requirements, rather than retooling to swap out the 100 year old internal combustion engine entirely for a nice clean simple electric motor?

So, cynic that I am, I was not surprised to see that Domestic Fuel has an interesting piece about a device that will allow any fuel-injected vehicle to run on ethanol or gasoline without the push of a button or flip of a switch.

The system is very basic for the average user. It’s a simple plug-and-play device, which you attach to your fuel injector connectors and ground to your battery and start using ethanol -- anywhere from E100 to regular gasoline. The technology was developed in Brazil and is now being marketed in 34 countries, including most recently Thailand and the Philippines.

The demand for flex-fuel conversion kits will grow as higher ethanol blends become more available nationwide, because even if car makers start selling only flex-fuel vehicles in the US there will continue to be a large segment of used vehicles for sale that are not flex-fuel capable.

Fuel Flex International makes many different options - lucky that you can ask their tech guys about which does what - in the US and retails them from around $300 - $450.
One thing you might want to ask the tech guy is - will this affect my warranty?

There is also the issue of EPA certification, which currently has only been granted to another company, the curiously named yet unrelated Flex Fuel US but they are working on getting that approval. Our current EPA is not falling over itself to grant such boons as I noted yesterday. They have checked into a scant 1(one) fuel efficiency device in these last eight years.

Via Domestic Fuel

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Comments By Readers

We're all anxious to get green, and find alternative energy sources. But statements like this (in addition to promoting questionable gadgets) just kill your credibility.

It's a complex issue. Let's grow up, shall we?

"Like many of us, I've long suspected that converting a car to flex fuel is probably not too difficult. Otherwise why else was all of Detroit jumping on flex-fuel to meet legislative requirements, rather than retooling to swap out the 100 year old internal combustion engine entirely for a nice clean simple electric motor?"

Max on August 22, 2008 at 07:01 PM

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, it is not expensive to enable a vehicle to burn E85.

"The technology cost for an E85 flex fuel vehicle is only $50 to $100 per vehicle, depending on the approach used. This would allow automakers to ensure that the fuel tank, emissions equipment, fuel injectors, sensor, and other materials are in place as needed to ensure a vehicle can work reliably on E85."

Read more here: http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_vehicles/cars_pickups_suvs/flex-fuel-vehicles.html

John Gartner on August 22, 2008 at 07:16 PM

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