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Many engines can be converted to run on ethanol.


This gets thrown out quite a bit but I don't really buy it. If it is not designed for alcohol, it probably isn't going to work. Alcohol has too many weird interactions with stuff like aluminum.


Which was why I didn't say "all" or anything like that. But basically a lot of engines from Ford and Volvo can run on ethanol. Any old iron block can if you replace pipes and hoses. And so on.


Sure, if you rebuild an engine to run on ethanol it'll run on ethanol.


Which is why I said converted. The wrong kind of rubber will get brittle from ethanol. But for an iron block, it's not rocket science. Any shade tree mechanic could do it.


Many countries are running on part-ethanol already; the UK is on "E10" (up to 10%)


most gasoline available in the eastern USA is E10. I go out of my way to get E0 for a vintage high-performance vehicle I drive on occasion, it's noticeably happier without the ethanol, even if it can drive on E10 without damage.


partial ethanol and full alcohol are not even close.


Close enough. E10 is enough to see most of the issues you will see with pure Ethanol. Most engines just need to run is different fuel maps. ideally you would make other changes (increase the compression ratio), but they are expensive.


Some engines (SAAB, I'm looking at you) will detect knocks and adapt the map on the fly.

Then, there's the more insane stuff:

https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1024086_ethanol-powered-...




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