PORTLAND – Just about any driver who has filled up recently at any gas station has felt the pain at the pump.

AP photo

A gas station attendant pumps gasoline in Oregon.

“It was $75,” said Nancy Kretzschmar as she held out her credit card receipt to show how much she just spent. “It’s not right.”

With gas prices quickly approaching $4 a gallon, drivers like Kretzschmar look to get every mile possible out of a tank of gas. However, NorthWest Cable News learned a type of fuel sold at many gas stations in Portland area makes it more difficult to get maximum fuel mileage.

The fuel is a blended mix of 10 percent ethanol, a fuel that can be made from corn, and 90 percent gasoline.

Ethanol is less efficient

Because ethanol does not combust as hot as gasoline, it takes more ethanol to create the same amount of energy, according to Earl Baker, AAA Auto Repair. “You can get anywhere from one to four miles less per gallon with an ethanol blended fuel.”

According to a NorthWest Cable News analysis, a car that averages 30 miles per gallon would spend $11.66 on a 100 mile trip if gas costs $3.50 a gallon. The same trip using the ethanol, or E10 blend, could cost up to $13.46. Over an average driving year, about 12,000 miles, a motorist could pay up to $215 more for using E10 gasoline when compared to regular fuel.

“It’s not a bad fuel,” said Baker as he defended ethanol. “It’s getting a bad rap and it’s really not a bad fuel.”

Baker added fuel economy not only depends on the type of fuel but how well a vehicle is maintained. Factors such as tire pressures, oil changes, and the efficiency of the engine all contribute to fuel economy.

Benefits to using ethanol

There are also some benefits to using E10. “It helps scour the fuel system, it cleans fuel tanks, fuel lines, fuel injectors, carburetors,” said Baker.

The ethanol blend is becoming more popular since it is cleaner burning and uses less oil to make.

Recently Oregon began a mandate to sell ethanol year round, instead of just during the winter months, in a nine county region surrounding the Portland metro area. The same mandate is scheduled to expand to all Oregon counties this fall.

Neighboring Washington and California also sell E10 at its gas stations.

Despite its cleaner burning and cleansing properties, many drivers care little about E10 and just want better fuel economy.

“It’s outrageous,” said Kretzschmar, who is looking for a more fuel efficient car.