Will the new Chevrolet Tahoe hybrid for 2008 be able to use ethanol?

Question

I know GM is coming out with a Tahoe hybrid for the 2008 model year, but I was curious if it was able to use ethanol to power the gas motor like many of the non-hybrid GMs do now.

Any ideas?

Answer 1

I'm not aware that any production car today uses straight ethanol. FlexFuel cars use E85, which is a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. I'll assume that you're asking if the 2008 Tahoe hybrid can use E85.

I did some research and the best I can come up with is "no," the 2008 Tahoe will not have a FlexFuel engine -- it will burn only standard gasoline. Keep in mind that standard gasoline is usually mixed with 10 percent ethanol these days, so the Tahoe will use some ethanol -- just not E85.

Reading up on the Tahoe, some of the fuel economy improvements come from weight reduction and aerodynamic work, things GM should have done long ago to improve economy in its regular gasoline fleet.