In Nebraska, in 2021, the State of Nebraska rolled out a fleet of 50 vehicles — Dodge Avengers and Chargers and Ford Fusions — for a trial, swapping regular gasoline for E30, a 30% ethanol blend.
The goal was to answer a question for the future of clean energy: Can standard cars run reliably on higher-ethanol fuel without modification? If these workhorses within the state motor pool could handle higher-ethanol fuel without trouble, it could change what drivers everywhere put in their tanks.
And, it could have a positive ripple effect throughout the state.
Each vehicle was outfitted with onboard diagnostic (OBD) trackers. Over the span of a year, the cars drove the Cornhusker state’s backroads and highways, and the trackers collected millions of data points.
The results were shared in a report:
· There were no observable negative effects on engine performance, despite the higher oxygen content in E30 fuel.
· Fuel efficiency dipped only modestly, but E30’s 2.5% price advantage made it economically equal, or better.
· A statewide shift from E15 to E30 fuel in fleet vehicles meant 66,000 more gallons of ethanol consumed annually and 529 tons fewer CO₂ emissions.
If 10% of Nebraska’s non-flex-fuel vehicles switched, that would translate into 18.5 million gallons of additional ethanol use and 64,000 fewer tons of CO₂ — a genuinely monumental impact.
