“With the number of flex fuel vehicles growing, and as cities like Corpus Christi push to find ways to improve air quality and make renewable resources a focus, Stripes will offer E85 fuel at more locations if we find that consumers demand that option,” says Stripes’ CEO.
The newest Stripes Convenience Store location, located on Weber Road south of Saratoga Blvd., is the first gas station within 100 miles of the Corpus Christi area to offer E85 fuel, a blend of up to 85% ethanol fuel with unleaded gasoline that is used in “flexible fuel vehicles” and is recognized as being a cleaner-burning fuel for cars.
E85 is an American-made alternative fuel produced from renewable resources, such as corn raised here in the U.S. It burns cleaner and more completely due to its higher oxygen content than gasoline, meaning it reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 40%. E85 is made to be used in new increasingly popular flexible fuel vehicles only and should not be used in cars and trucks with conventional gasoline engines.
The E85 fuel is available from a separate, clearly marked dispenser at the Stripes on at Weber and Bratton Roads in Corpus Christi. The chain also has E85 fuel available at its newest Lubbock, Texas store.
“Stripes takes pride in leading the way by bringing a new alternative fuel option like E85 to our customers looking for a cleaner burning gas for their flex fuel vehicles,” said Steve DeSutter, president & CEO of Stripes LLC, which operates more than 530 Stripes convenience stores in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. “This is something new for us but with the number of flex fuel vehicles growing, and as cities like Corpus Christi push to find ways to improve air quality and make renewable resources a focus, Stripes will offer E85 fuel at more locations if we find that consumers demand that option,” he added.
Approximately 50 locations in Texas that offer E85 fuel, according to the site www.e85refueling.com, while the U.S. Department of Energy reports more than 2,600 E85 locations throughout the U.S.
Being the first motor fuel retailer in the community for E85 fuel is another example of Stripes’ ongoing commitment to supporting environmental initiatives in the Corpus Christi area. Since 1996, Stripes has participated in numerous programs in conjunction with The Pollution Prevention Partnership at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi to help reduce air pollution in the community. Stripes has installed vapor recovery equipment at each one of its gasoline retail sites, has participated in “stop at the click” education campaigns for customer fueling, and has hosted several “clean air” events and fairs.
“We’ve been lucky to have Stripes as a prominent partner on our path to maintain the city’s ‘clean air’ status,” said Gretchen Arnold, director of the Pollution Prevention Partnership at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi. “Thanks to initiatives like the ones Stripes have helped implement Corpus Christi can continue to be a national leader in clean air initiatives.”
What Do People Need to Know About E85?
- Ethanol is a clean-burning, American-made alternative fuel produced from renewable resources.
- Ethanol is created through a distillation process in which compounds are extracted and converted into alcohol, which become fuel-grade ethanol.
- According to the U.S. Department of Energy, with every billion gallons of new ethanol produced, another 10,000 to 20,000 green-collar jobs are created in the U.S.
- In most cases, E85 is priced lower than gasoline. However, E85 does produce less energy per gallon. So while consumers may experience lower gas mileage than with traditional gasoline, the price difference usually makes up for any fuel economy difference the consumer might see when using E85.
- Millions of flex fuel vehicles are on the road across the U.S.
- Flex fuel vehicles can be fueled with unleaded gasoline, E85 fuel, or any combination of the two.
- However, E85 fuel cannot be used in conventional, non-flex fuel engines.