Most people who own a flex fuel vehicle and use E85, a cleaner-burning ethanol blend designed specifically for use in these vehicles, know where to find the fuel in their neighborhood and along their daily routes. What happens when you take a flex fuel vehicle on a longer trips, and you don’t know where E85 is sold? As it turns out, there are some handy route mapping tools to help do just that.
If you are traveling in the Upper Midwest, this station list developed and maintained by the American Lung Association is very handy, and is very much up-to-date. It can locate stations by state, by city and by county.
If you are planning a longer trip, or want to see which stations are available on a particular route, the Alternative Fuel Data Center is exactly what you have been looking for. Developed by the U.S. Department of Energy and updated by staff and volunteers across the country, the AFDC can show you exactly where you can buy E85 on any route you select. Just click on the “Map a Route” button in the upper right corner.
Of course, if E85 isn’t available on your route, flex fuel vehicles can operate on 88 Octane and other gasoline blends. That’s the “flex” in flex fuel. Happy (and safe) travels!