For Retailers

RFA has the resources to help retailers and fuel marketers offer higher ethanol blends such as E15 and E85. Let the experienced staff at RFA show you how to take advantage of this incredible opportunity to increase margin, gain market share and offer consumers the fastest growing and environmentally superior fuels available today.

Why Sell E15?

E15 fuel is comprised of 15% ethanol and 85% gasoline. This high-octane fuel is approved for use in model year 2001 and newer cars, light-duty trucks, medium-duty passenger vehicles (SUVs), and all flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs).

9 out of 10 of the cars, trucks and SUVs on the road today are approved by their manufacturer to run on E15, representing 97% of the unleaded fuel sold in the United States. E15 typically has an octane rating of 88, but costs less than regular unleaded. This gives the retailer a lower-priced, higher-octane fuel to post on the price sign to attract consumers.

How to Sell E15

The RFA has developed an E15 Retailer Handbook to provide fuel retailers with regulatory and technical guidance to legally store and sell E15. This includes sample checklists, labeling options, questions to contemplate regarding offering E15, and requirements retailers must execute before proceeding.

Cost to Sell E15

The cost to upgrade an existing retail gas station to sell E15 is probably less than you might think. The Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI) conducted a nationwide study and examined the potential cost of installing E15 at retail gas stations under 10 different scenarios. For example, those that can use existing tanks, pipe, and dispensers can in some cases offer E15 for under $1,200 on average per station.

Questions on E15?

Contact Cassie Mullen at cmullen@ethanolrfa.org.

Misfueling Mitigation Plan

The U.S. EPA requires a Misfueling Mitigation Plan for a retailer to offer E15 to consumers. RFA is available to assist retailers with the process, which includes:

Labels* must be placed on E15 retail dispensers indicating that E15 use is only for MY2001 and newer motor vehicles.  The RFA offers these labels at no cost.
Product Transfer Documents (PTDs) must accompany all transfers of fuels for E15 use. You already have these today – no additional requirement.
Parties involved in the manufacture of E15 must participate in a survey of compliance at fuel retail dispensing facilities to ensure proper labeling of dispensers. This survey is active today, and it only takes 5 minutes to register. Visit www.RFGSA.org to learn more.
Parties must submit a plan addressing conditions to EPA for approval. Visit the EPA website for more information about E15 fuel registration.

* Dispensing E15 into a vehicle or engine that may not use E15 is prohibited by federal law. Vehicles that may not use E15 are model year 2000 and older cars, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty passenger vehicles, as well as motorcycles and off-road vehicles, including boats and snowmobiles, off-road equipment, including lawnmowers and chainsaws, heavy-duty engines.

E85 and Flex-Fuel Vehicles

Value Propositions

E85 is a fuel blend containing up to 83% ethanol and 15% gasoline and contains about 98 octane. E85 can only be used in flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs).  There are now more than 24 million FFVs on the road, or nearly 10% of all vehicles, representing more vehicles than require premium today. Click here for a list of all FFVs.

There are several ways to determine if a vehicle is an FFV:

The inside of a vehicle’s fuel filler door will typically note E85 compatibility with a sticker.
Since September of 2006, auto manufacturers are required to place a label inside the fuel door and to badge the rear of the vehicle. Some manufacturers added yellow gas caps for additional recognition.
Flex-fuel capability is noted in the owner’s manual and encoded in the vehicle’s identification number (VIN).

Retailer Equipment

E85 does require different equipment than regular gasoline. E85 can easily be incorporated into multi-product dispensers, eliminating the need for stand-alone equipment. View the Handbook for Handling, Storing & Dispensing E85 for important information.

Fuel equipment sold today is typically tested by the manufacture to prove that it is compatible at one of four levels of ethanol: 10% (E10), 25% (E25), 85% (E85), or 100% (E100). That marks the highest level of ethanol that equipment has been proven to accommodate without a risk of failure (i.e. spilling fuel into the environment). If a retailer is preparing to offer 88 octane E15 gasoline, the equipment involved needs to handle above the E10 standards, so it is typically rated at E25 or E85. It is worth noting that some pieces of equipment, like most new underground storage tanks, already come as compatible at the E85 or E100 level without any special upgrade.

Incentives

There is a federal alternative vehicle refueling property credit for fuel retailers to offer E85. This credit is available through tax year 2021. Click here for more information.

RFA Can Promote

If you offer E85, RFA will ensure that your station is listed in our station locator found at www.E85prices.com. This website and the E85prices.com mobile app help E85 users find your station.

Questions on E85?

Contact Robert White at rwhite@ethanolrfa.org.