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Dr. George Philippidis’ Interview with Palm Beach Post Newspaper Regarding the Use of E15 Blend as Fuel in Vehicles

In May 2022, Palm Beach Post newspaper interviewed Dr. Philippidis, PCGS Associate Dean for Research & Director of Sustainable Energy, about the use of the E15 blend (15% ethanol, 85% gasoline) as an alternative to the E10 type in vehicles. This maneuver was attempted in order to combat the instability in fuel prices resulting from the raging war in Ukraine. Although the overall cost of a gallon of fuel would be slightly less expensive, experts, including Dr. Philippidis believed that the savings were minimal, while other environmental concerns would become more difficult to manage.

According to Dr. Philippidis, gasoline becomes more volatile when it is mixed with a higher percentage of ethanol, resulting in more vapor emission, especially in warm weather during summertime. Furthermore, due to its lower density, one gallon of ethanol takes you a shorter distance than one gallon of gasoline. Therefore, E15 fuel efficiency is lower than E10 fuel, making the savings when you switch to E15 negligible. "We will compromise a little bit on the emissions side to benefit the consumers and the economy, at least for as long as prices are really high", said Dr. Philippidis.

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