USA Today Study: Ethanol Can't Compare to Diesel - You Knew That Already!

SEE ALSO: Should you buy a hybrid or diesel - the bottom line facts

Washington DC November 30, 2007; The AIADA newsletter reported that anything's better than ethanol blend E85, even ordinary gasoline, a new cost-benefit analysis of alternative fuels by researcher John Graham at the Pardee Rand Graduate School finds.

USA Today reports that diesels scored highest, surprising even the researchers. "We were kind of expecting that hybrids would outperform diesels when we went into the study. It's close, but the "advanced diesel" provides better performance and fuel economy for the price, he says.

Compared to gasoline, a driver could spend as much as $1,600 more on fuel over a vehicle's life burning E85, a mix of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, Graham calculates, while a diesel could save as much as $2,300.

The study undercuts E85 at a time Detroit automakers are lobbying Congress for ethanol-supportive legislation and fuel-economy credits for building E85-compatible vehicles.

General Motors and Ford Motor, both pro-ethanol, are among companies that support the Rand school. "They aren't crazy about the results," Graham says.