Gas City first in Northwest Indiana region to offer E-85 blend

HOBART | Gasoline at $2.29 a gallon Monday was enough to grab Bob Bowling's attention.

"I saw the sign and came in," said Bowling, of Dyer.

He wheeled his 1995 Ford pick-up into the Gas City station at U.S. 30 and Ind. 51 to check it out.

The station earlier this month converted a single pump to E-85 fuel, which sold Monday for 40 cents per gallon less than the next cheapest fuel, regular unleaded at $2.69 a gallon.

The savings was all the incentive Bowling needed.

"Why not?" he said.

Robert Pasley, of Rensselaer, said he stopped in for the E-85 blend Monday for more than just the savings

"It's good for the environment; it's good for the economy; it's good for farmers," Pasley said. "It's good for everything."

Gas City corporate management converted a former racing-fuel pump at the Hobart station to E-85 -- a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent petroleum -- after seeing favorable sales of the blend in a couple of its Illinois locations, district manager JoEllen Jostef said.

The Hobart station is the first in Northwest Indiana to offer the blend, which is getting increased attention nationwide as petroleum-based fuel prices hover near the $3-a-gallon mark.

Plans are to make E-85 available soon at a Gas City station in Hammond, Jostef said.

The number of service stations in Indiana offering E-85 more than quadrupled over the last few months, to 17 stations from just three in late July, said Phil Lampert, executive director of the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition. Nationwide, close to 530 stations sell the blend, with another 2,000 planned for 2006.

Lampert said about 5 million U.S. vehicles currently are equipped to handle the blend, but some auto makers are planning to ramp up production.

Jostef said interest in E-85 is building at Gas City in Hobart, where close to 1,600 gallons have sold in the week and a half since the pump opened.

But it could be a while before E-85 sales match those of regular gasoline, which reach between 3,500 and 4,000 gallons a day at the station.

"People just need to be a little more educated," she said.

Gas City cashiers have brushed up on their knowledge of the blend and can provide customers with a list of vehicles equipped to handle the blend, Jostef said.

Consumers can check their vehicle owner's manual, vehicle identification number, the inside of the fuel door, or check with their auto dealership for E-85 capability.

A list of E-85 compatible vehicles is listed on the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition Web site at e85fuel.com.

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