does burning ethanol create less emissions than gasoline?

Question

Is the only benefit of ethanol reducing our dependence on foreign oil?

Answer 1

That is pretty much the only benefit. Methanol actually cost quite a bit to manufacture. Methanol is also less efficient than gasoline. While it may cost up to 50% less than gasoline it takes more to operate a vehicle. Say a chevy tahoe gets 22 mpg highway on gasoline. It will likely get only 17 mpg highway using ethanol. Hope that helps.

Answer 2

More or less. But it would burn somewhat cleaner because it does burn hotter than gas alone. When you buy gas at the pumps, it usally has 10% alcohol ratio. I believe that the ethanol would replace the alcohol. Regular engines are not set up to burn more than 10% because it does burn so hot.