Sounds felonious. Tell us more!
-Mike Foulks
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Replying to:
Dear Cab Drivers & Cab Owners/Managers,
We all know fuel prices are killing us by cutting into our profits. The high prices our taking food off our tables and making it harder for us to support our families.
I know there is a way we can fight fuel prices. We can actually pay only $2.89 - $3.05 a gallon. I have looked it into the technology, tried it out myself and I know it works without harming our cars or taking up any space.
When i did the math myself, i figured we tank our cars once a day roughly 20 gallons. I figured the savings at $0.50 even though if more of join in we could actually have saving of $1.00 or even more a gallon.
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1 Crown Vic - 20 gallons gas/day
$0.50 per gallon savings
$10.00 SAVINGS per/DAY
$300.00 SAVINGS per/MONTH
$3,600.00 SAVINGS per/YEAR
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I think its worth looking into. Its safe, risk free, saves $$$, good for the environment, makes the cab industry looking better. Why not try it out?
What do you guys think????
Mike,
I know it sounds to go to be true, I thought so to at first.
It is legal to have the system installed, it is certified by the United States EPA, and it works.
The system is a flex fuel conversion system which for example will allow a Crown Vic to run on either E85 (a less expensive & environmentally friendly gasoline) or regular gasoline.
If you want to find out more about the system I’m sure they can explain it better than I can.
Their web site is www.FlexFuelUSA.org and the phone number listed is (847) 894 - 6067
Mr. Green,
Thanks for the info. I already went to the website. I'm not so sure that corn-based fuel is gonna have a great year with these floods destroying so much of the crop.
I see hybrid cars as a half-step towards fully-electric cars, which are coming faster than I think most people realize.
I don't think ethanol will ever be used as much as its promoters hope for.
-Mike Foulks
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Replying to:
Mike,
I know it sounds to go to be true, I thought so to at first.
It is legal to have the system installed, it is certified by the United States EPA, and it works.
The system is a flex fuel conversion system which for example will allow a Crown Vic to run on either E85 (a less expensive & environmentally friendly gasoline) or regular gasoline.
If you want to find out more about the system I’m sure they can explain it better than I can.
Their web site is www.FlexFuelUSA.org and the phone number listed is (847) 894 - 6067
Mike,
I'm not so sure if you are correct about the hybrids. Most Villages and City's have chosen to go with Flex Fuel Vehicles as well as convert or add this system on top of the OEM flex fuel systems for better efficiency. The City of Chicago is one of those Cities. Chicago is in the midst of a pilot program with this very same conversion system installed on a few Police vehicles.
One more thing, if you look at the commodities today, the floods have not and will not make a large dent in Ethanol prices. The US is seeing record yields from corn crops and with new technologies; farmers are getting more bushels of corn per acre. One thing also to remember, ethanol is not solely produced from just corn crops.
With that said, my thoughts are that E85 will continue to grow as demand for ethanol is growing exponentially. Today there are over 1,661 stations offering E85 and over 1,218 Cities selling E85 in the United States.
The hybrid cars don’t match up to American style of living. They don’t have the space or power we crave and then maintenance is costly. There are few mechanics even at the dealers that are qualified to work on hybrids or that if qualified want to work on Hybrids. A Flex Fuel car has everything the hybrids don’t. They have more power than even regular only gas powered vehicles. They are no smaller than cars we are used to and feel safe driving. Flex Fuel cars are easy to work on, any shop one pulls into can do regular maintenance on a Flex Fuel car. The only downside to Flex Fuel vehicles has been efficiencies. Well NOT ANYMORE, this conversion system allows for the use of E85 EFFICIENTLY with minimal miles per gallon loss.
Most likely we will have to use both technologies. For the cab industry and any industry that covers many miles a year, I feel Flex Fuel Vehicles are the better choice.
Mr. Green,
How much time does it take to install one of these devices into a regular gasoline engine vehicle? Can an entry-level mechanic be easily trained to install dozens of these devices in a shift?
What is the cost of these parts, when installed, maintenance and special repair?
How many more MPG will these devices create? Does the MPG differ depending on which fuel is dominating the mixture?
What is the current difference in price between ethanol and regular gas?
What has been the historical average difference, and what is the trending?
Where else besides the promoter's website can one get some more information?
Are there any taxi fleets using this device experimentally or otherwise?
Thanks for pointing us in a new direction to explore and discuss.
-Mike Foulks
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Replying to:
Mike,
I'm not so sure if you are correct about the hybrids. Most Villages and City's have chosen to go with Flex Fuel Vehicles as well as convert or add this system on top of the OEM flex fuel systems for better efficiency. The City of Chicago is one of those Cities. Chicago is in the midst of a pilot program with this very same conversion system installed on a few Police vehicles.
One more thing, if you look at the commodities today, the floods have not and will not make a large dent in Ethanol prices. The US is seeing record yields from corn crops and with new technologies; farmers are getting more bushels of corn per acre. One thing also to remember, ethanol is not solely produced from just corn crops.
With that said, my thoughts are that E85 will continue to grow as demand for ethanol is growing exponentially. Today there are over 1,661 stations offering E85 and over 1,218 Cities selling E85 in the United States.
The hybrid cars don’t match up to American style of living. They don’t have the space or power we crave and then maintenance is costly. There are few mechanics even at the dealers that are qualified to work on hybrids or that if qualified want to work on Hybrids. A Flex Fuel car has everything the hybrids don’t. They have more power than even regular only gas powered vehicles. They are no smaller than cars we are used to and feel safe driving. Flex Fuel cars are easy to work on, any shop one pulls into can do regular maintenance on a Flex Fuel car. The only downside to Flex Fuel vehicles has been efficiencies. Well NOT ANYMORE, this conversion system allows for the use of E85 EFFICIENTLY with minimal miles per gallon loss.
Most likely we will have to use both technologies. For the cab industry and any industry that covers many miles a year, I feel Flex Fuel Vehicles are the better choice.
Mike,
1. It takes about 1 1/2 - 2 hours to install on a regular gasoline engine vehicle. And yes, an entry-level mechanic can be very easily trained to do the installation.
2. Using E85 will actually help cut down on maintenance costs. One example is tune ups; they are less frequently required when running on E85. As for cost of repairs, there is no difference than on a regular gasoline powered vehicle. Once the system is installed there is no extra maintenance or costs involved.
As for the cost of the unit, it Retails for around $1,995.00 and they offer FLEET DISCOUNTS.
3. This system is not designed to save/increase miles per gallon but rather offer both a choice and savings at the pump. Typical OEM Flex Fuel cars can't offer huge savings b/c they’re not fuel efficient. With that said, OEM flex fuel cars incur a 25-30% loss in fuel efficiency when running on E85. The conversion system takes care of that issue. Testing shows that there is a maximum efficiency loss of just 3% when using the conversion system. That loss is common only experienced with aggressive drivers. With regular driving habits, any fuel economy change is virtually unnoticeable.
4. Currently, the average price of E85 here in Illinois is $3.47. That is roughly $0.75 savings compared to the price of regular gas. Now this is where the group effort comes in. The company plans to open their own stations in strategic locations once the demand is there. If we cab drivers/owners collectively agree to convert 300 cars, the company will supply us with a conveniently located station near O'Hare. They then will be able to offer E85 for less than other local stations. They are predicting they could offer E85 for $2.89 - $3.22 per gallon. As more vehicles convert they will open more stations in and around the city and suburbs.
5. Historically E85 has had the difference of roughly $0.45 - $0.50 per gallon. With new distilling technologies as well as new sources for producing ethanol (switch grass, sugar cane, yard waste, etc.), the price of ethanol has come down. Ethanol is a less volatile commodity than oil, so prices are forecast to remain rather stable. It seems pretty probable that a steady difference of $0.75 - $1.50 per gallon is possible, if not more.
More information on ethanol can be found on the following sites:
http://www.ncga.com/ethanol/main/index.asp
http://www.e85fuel.com/index.php
http://www.ethanol.org/index.php?id=15
6. There are taxi fleets already using the conversion system. One company for instance is MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. They have it installed on their fleet of limousines. Locally in Chicago there are two recognizable companies using the system. One is My Chauffer and the other is O'Hare-Midway Limousine Service.
I think this is a real win for our industry as well as for our state. It can bring substantial savings for us drivers. I think it also may make us look better if we go green. What do you think Mike? Worth a try?
