Ethanol Vehicles for Post Office Burn More Gas, Get Fewer Miles

The U.S. Postal Service purchased more than 30,000 ethanol-capable trucks and minivans from 1999 to 2005, making it the biggest American buyer of alternative-fuel vehicles. Gasoline consumption jumped by more than 1.5 million gallons as a result.

So isn't this the wrong way, gas consumption is up?

``You're getting fewer miles per gallon, and it's costing us more,'' Walt O'Tormey, the Postal Service's Washington-based vice president of engineering, said in an interview. The agency may buy electric vehicles instead, he said.

Yes, that's what people say, about 30% less mpg, thanks for checking that out on the taxpayers dime. A suggestion, next time, why not buy just one, and run some tests -- Did you have to buy 30,000 just because you could?

The experience shows how the U.S. push for crop-based fuels, already contributing to the highest rate of food inflation in 17 years, may not be achieving its goal of reducing gasoline consumption. Lawmakers are seeking caps on the use of biofuels after last year's 40 percent jump in world food prices, calling the U.S. policy flawed.

Yaw think, why is that? Drives up both food and energy costs, isn't that what the Democrat Socialists want?

``Using food for fuel has created some unintended consequences: food shortages, the high price of livestock feed,'' said Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican. ``I think it's leading a lot of people to wonder whether our corn-based ethanol goals need to be adjusted.''

Stimulating Demand

Lost in the debate over the fuel's contribution to food scarcity is the possibility that the ethanol policy itself isn't working, said David Just, an associate professor of economics at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. It may stimulate demand by making gas cheaper, he said, an argument supported by at least two U.S. government studies.

Really, what was your first clue? Could it be that ethanol is a lousy fuel, that's why Henry Ford switched to gasoline, helps to know your history. Yes, a similar path was taken with diesel, it was first peanut oil, but the refining and use showed how much superior oil was, so the biodiesel was dropped. Why do we think it's any different today?

The Energy Independence and Security Act, passed in December, called for ethanol production to more than double to 15 billion gallons in 2015 from 6.5 billion last year. The U.S. pays oil refiners like Exxon Mobil Corp. 51 cents in tax refunds for each gallon of ethanol they blend into regular gasoline. Automakers get extra credit toward federal fuel-efficiency standards for models that can run on ethanol.

One tankful is all you will need, then you too will know that miles per gallon goes substantially down, while paying the same price or higher for fuel. Sound like a good deal to you?

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