A popular new fuel, E85, could help put the brakes on America's foreign-oil dependency. The Department of Energy provides these answers to some frequently asked questions about the fuel:
Q: What is E85 and what are its benefits?
A: E85 is a fuel that is 85 percent ethanol (distilled from American corn, as well as nongrain crops) and only 15 percent gasoline. It is high octane and has a higher performance level than some gasolines-it can boost some vehicle's horsepower by up to 5 percent-and it's also domestically produced and clean burning. In fact, government tests show vehicles running on E85 reduce harmful emissions when compared with gasoline.
Q: Why use ethanol?
A: Ethanol provides plenty of horsepower with relatively little pollution. Because it is typically produced from corn and...