From my brother:
This simply doesn't explain a thing the EPA is attempting to sell the American people about ethanol gas. Below is question 5, page 3 of the PDF EPA Fuel Economy Testing and Labeling. So if ethanol gas is so great, why doesn't the EPA use it when testing cars for MPG? This is why I say you can't get there from here! If the EPA continues to increase the MPG that cars must get, but ethanol lowers the actual MPG, you can't achieve the result you are attempting, because the increase in ethanol continues to drive down MPG while the EPA drives up the MPG requirements... NO break even point!
5. When I buy gas at the pump, it typically contains about 10% ethanol and other additives. Does EPA use a gasoline-ethanol blend for fuel economy testing?
No, EPA’s test fuel does not currently contain any ethanol or other oxygenates. However, EPA does account for the impact of low-level ethanol blends in our fuel economy estimates. Ethanol has a lower energy density than gasoline—about 1/3 less energy per gallon. That means a car operating on 10% ethanol would require about 3% more fuel to travel one mile than a car operating on gasoline and thus have about 3% lower fuel economy. EPA currently reduces all fuel economy test values by about 10% to account for ethanol in gasoline and other factors such as wind, hills, and road conditions.
