Gas prices are below $2.50 for the first time in months. While it may have you more willing to drive more, one of KELOLAND's biggest flex-fuel vehicle supporters worries it will also make people less willing to make the switch to E-85. 

One Mt. Vernon man who installs e85 conversion kits is now fighting for government certification, to get more people using ethanol. 

“This car we could do in about 15 minutes.” 

After a little more than 15 minutes under the hood of his '97 Dodge Caravan, Brian Dodd is driving on e85 fuel.
In his shop near Mt. Vernon, Dodd installs kits that convert nearly any regular vehicle with a fuel injector into a flex-fuel vehicle. 

It's an attractive idea for anyone who wants to pay the lowest price at the pumps, which is usually the 85% ethanol blend. Dodd has already installed a number of kits, but they are not yet certified by the Environmental Protection Agency, which regulates vehicle emissions. 

“It's not that we're putting something on that's illegal, as long as we're knowingly not affecting the emissions out of the tailpipe,” Dodd said. 

Dodd is not worried about breaking the law, because ethanol burns cleaner than gasoline. But now that gas prices no longer hover around the $3.00 mark, Dodd says customers seem more reluctant to pay between $400 and $900 to make the switch. Cars get slightly worse fuel economy using e85. 

In order to save money using e85, the price difference per gallon from unleaded needs to be 40 to 50 cents. But Dodd hopes if more people switch to e85, more gas stations will carry it and the prices will go down. 

The next step in courting more customers is to get EPA approval. 

Makers of Flextek, the primary brand of converter Dodd installs, are working to get that certification, but Dodd predicts it could be a lengthy process. “We could be looking at six months to a year, even.” 

Dodd thinks the process could be helped along by politicians. In Minnesota, Governor Tim Pawlenty jump-started the process by arranging to test kits at Minnesota State Mankato. 

“I really feel the politicians, Gov. Rounds or anybody in that position, I mean this is a real good opportunity for South Dakota to be one of the leaders also,” Dodd said. 

EPA approval could eventually lead to tax credits for people who make the switch, but his primary concern is getting more people to trust the conversion kits. “It's just a peace of mind for people knowing it is approved by the government, and we're not doing anything that is a problem.” 

Once the government agency is on-board, Dodd believes these kits could help cut down reliance on foreign oil, help the environment, and hopefully save drivers money in the process. 

The EPA approval process takes time because the agency needs to test various types of vehicles to make sure the conversion kits don't have negative effects.

Click here to read more about FlexTek e85 conversion kits (with an interpretation of EPA guidelines)

Click here to read how Minnesota is testing kits right now.

Click here to calculate the price difference in using e85 with fuel economy considered.