What I've Learned About Ethanol

Its amazing what you can learn if you put your mind to it. When I first joined the Picken's Army I only half-heartedly supported the use of ethanol as an automotive fuel. First because I didn't think it a good idea to use food sources like corn, to make ethanol. I quickly learned that most of the ethanol today comes from "feed corn". Still corn is corn and it wasn't until I read a comment from another Pickens member about the work in progress to use "Switch Grass" as an Ethanol source that I began taking another look at Ethanol.
I went on reading more an more about ethanol and I've come to the conclusion that the "Fastest" way to reduce our need for foreign oil is to convert as quickly as possible to E85 Ethanol. The ethanol is being produced. What we need now are Ethanol Pumps at major filling stations. Going to E85 is quick and the conversion of non-E85 vehicles is relatively inexpensive, i.e., around $500. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXajLGqafyk&feature=related)Like gasoline, it can be trucked, pumped and run in most vehicles with little or no problem. There is even a video on the internet that speaks of running non-E85 vehilces on E85 without conversion. The reference for that is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuOs1yap8mU&feature=related. The great thing about ethanol is that we can use it right now. The problem is lack of facilities for E85 in many areas, including the state of Florida. As far as I can determine there are only a handful of cities and 4 stations on the Florida Turnpike where you can get E85. That needs to be rectified as soon as possible.
We produce a lot of sugarcane in south Florida. Maybe we can redirect some of that sugarcane towards ethanol production until we get things like switch grass and sorghum plants online. Who knows we may get to lick this dependency on foreign oil yet!