E30 Demonstration

On Oct. 19, 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the continuation of ground-breaking research being done in Nebraska on the long-term adaptability and feasibility of E30 fuel by using E30 in non-flex-fuel state fleet vehicles.

Launched in 2019, State teammates outfitted 50 State-owned vehicles with onboard tracking systems to capture data on vehicle performance. They monitored those vehicles for an entire year. Data was submitted to engineers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) for analysis. Results of the initial pilot program showed that E30 is safe and reliable fuel for use in conventional vehicles. Under EPA current guidelines, only flex fuel vehicles (FFVs) can use ethanol blends higher than E15. This peer-reviewed research was the first scientific demonstration of its kind. A summary is available here. 

Through the first phase, the team found a few parameters to look at closer to provide a more robust demonstration of the performance of ethanol. The State entered a second phase of the demonstration in 2022, this time including more than 800 State-fleet vehicles, and intends to underscore the initial findings in order to support regulatory change to make E30 accessible to all drivers.

While further demonstrating the safety and reliability of E30, the State will also significantly reduce its fuel costs and carbon footprint through the program. The Nebraska Ethanol Board (NEB) plans to work with industry partners and the EPA to continue the second phase of the E30 demonstration for at least two years.

Providing greater access to higher blends of ethanol allows consumers to manage fluctuating gas prices and contributes to our environmental health. One of the key findings from the first phase of the E30 demonstration is the positive impact of allowing statewide E30 consumption. If only 10% of the 1.7 million registered non FFVS in Nebraska used E30 instead of E10, ethanol consumption would increase by 18.5 million gallons per year and carbon emissions would decrease by 64,000 tons per year.

E30 Demo Emphasizes Ethanol's Value

• 220,000 gallons of E30 have been purchased by the State of Nebraska Transportation Services Bureau and Department of Transportation for use in the state fleet of vehicles.
• 42,000 more gallons of ethanol have been blended into the state fleet fuel supply than otherwise would have been.
• $160,000 in value to ethanol producers through the higher volume of ethanol consumption.
• $90,000 in savings for the State of Nebraska thanks to a steady and significant price spread from fuel retailers for E15 and E30.