Though the price on the sticker is the same, the price on the pump is more, either per gallon or per tank. Currently, E85 prices are running close to those of regular grade unleaded gasoline. In our area, E85 cost $3.20 per gallon, about three cents less expensive than regular grade gasoline at the same filling station. Flex-fuel proponents promise that the price will come down as more people begin using the fuel, but detractors claim that our corn-based ethanol is not as efficient as sugarcane, and that farm subsidies to make corn ethanol are causing higher prices. Add to that the recent switch-over from MTBE to ethanol in regular gasoline, and availability of ethanol may also be affecting the price at the pump.

The real cost of E85, however, comes when you leave the station. Inefficient at a tune of about three or more miles per gallon, it costs more to get down the road, causing drivers to fill up more often – and pay virtually the same to do so. When you factor in its fuel economy – or lack thereof – the price of E85 would have to be around 20 percent less than regular gasoline in order to break even cost-wise.