The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday that it would temporarily allow widespread sales of a higher ethanol gas blend in a move that they hope will tamp down consumer prices that have soared since the Iran war began.

The sale of E15 is typically discontinued in the summer because it can contribute to harmful air pollution.

Not all are convinced the move will substantially lower gas prices. E15 isn’t available in all states and some places don’t have the necessary infrastructure or enough of a supply of ethanol to ramp up use, said Kenneth Gillingham, a professor at the Yale School of the Environment who studies the impacts of transportation regulations on prices, emissions and consumer welfare.

  • a_non_monotonic_function@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    Nearly 14k miles is a lot for people in some locations. This is more or less what I was talking about. OP was throwing out random (trust me bro) figures, but the numbers I’ve seen are more nuanced, like these.

    My point was basically that I thought their assertions were rather naive. I like the idea of electric, but not necessarily what I’ve seen out of the tech rn.

    I’d also be curious how things worked over the life of the vehicle, and not some arbitrary tipping point early on in the x axis.

    Battery replacement is usually going to be far more significant than 14k miles, but will have to happen. A standard carolla or camery can run for fucking ever with modest investment in care. All the care in the world won’t protect you against batteries going belly-up.

      • a_non_monotonic_function@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        How so? I’ve had Toyotas last me literal decades and hundreds of thousands of miles with minimal maintenance.

        I have not encountered a battery in my life with that sort of stamina.

        • Mr_WorldlyWiseman@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          23 hours ago

          EV batteries are rated for 100K miles without any maintenance, and can often exceed that many times over.

          https://www.npr.org/2026/03/02/nx-s1-5706658/electric-vehicle-battery-lifespan

          You cannot run a Toyota more than 15k miles without maintenance. Usually it’s just an oil change, but there are so many moving parts that need regular maintenance, and many engines will just up and die before a battery will.

          EV cars also have rhe benefit of needing less brake maintenance, though that is offset by the tire wear and weight of long range EV cars.

          Something like a Citroën Ami will probably wear out the interior before any mechanical component dies. Maybe some rare maintenance like a tire change.