As strongly as I believe that ethanol is a good fuel for our country and consumers, I must admit that when it comes time to fill up my own personal vehicle, I think with my pocketbook first. In other words, I look for the lowest price fuel and then I check out whether it contains ethanol. Fortunately for both my pocketbook and my personal convictions, the lowest price fuel does typically contain ethanol.

Like many consumers, most of the time I fill up with E10. I don’t have a flex-fuel vehicle and E15 is simply not widely available in my area as of yet. You can bet, however, that if I’m ever able to trade in my 2006 Ford Focus for a FFV I’d gladly do it—as long as it fits into my budget, of course. And when I do have a choice between E15 and other fuels, I’ll check the price first and then happily fill up with E15.

A few days ago, I happened to fill up at an unfamiliar gas station. I was surprised to see that two of my three gas options contained no ethanol. Using all capital letters and bright red lettering for emphasis, the signage loudly proclaimed that I could fill up with either “100% gasoline, no ethanol, unleaded” or “100% gasoline, no ethanol, premium unleaded.” My third option was “10% ethanol, super unleaded.”  

As I’ve already mentioned, price is my first concern. I quickly identified the cheapest fuel ($3.799 for E10) and began fueling up. While I waited, I spent some more time investigating prices for the straight gas options. The unleaded fuel was 5 cents a gallon more expensive than the E10 and the premium unleaded was 55 cents more expensive than E10 and 60 cents more expensive than the unleaded fuel.

Granted, the most shocking price difference is between E10 and the premium unleaded fuel—which I probably wouldn’t choose regardless of my options. You might ask, is saving only 5 cents a gallon really enough incentive to entice a consumer to pick E10? It certainly is for this consumer, no doubt about it. Furthermore, from the research I have done, I have identified absolutely no downsides to putting E10 (or E15) in my gas tank.

That 5 cent savings from straight gas to E10 is just one example at just one gas station. It doesn’t give the whole picture of how much a consumer like me can save over the course of the year. According to a Center for Agricultural and Rural Development study, ethanol reduced the price of wholesale gasoline by $1.09 a gallon nationally in 2011. (The study was originally released in May 2012.) For the 2012 Thanksgiving holiday, the Renewable Fuels Association calculated an American family traveling by car would save about $23.13 on gas, thanks to ethanol. (Based on an average travel distance of 588 miles, according to AAA.) 

Just a few days after my own light bulb moment at the gas pump, I received a press release from the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association that showed how much more I could save if I had better access to E15 or if I drove a FFV. Responding to the fact that gas prices have risen sharply in Iowa, the association pointed out that E15 is typically sold at a 15 cent per gallon discount to straight gasoline. On the other hand, FFV drivers can purchase E85, which has been priced as low as $1.23 per gallon lower than straight gasoline.

Excuse me while I do some math. Multiply, add, carry the … yep, I’m pretty sure that’s savings I’d gladly take to the bank.