The road to fuel choice — What you can do
In a country soon to have a population of 325 million, it’s easy to assume that a single person can’t possibly make a difference. But great movements spread from person to person. Eventually, lonely voices become a chorus demanding change. This is what’s happening with fuel choice.
In our “Road to Fuel Choice” campaign, we’ve spelled out what government agencies (federal and state) and businesses (automakers and fueling stations) can do to take the concept of fuel choice from a mere great idea to everyday reality. The last, and most important, piece of the puzzle is you, the consumer.
Here are three simple ways you can help bring about fuel choice:
Consider buying an alternative-fuel vehicle. There are currently about 20 million flex-fuel vehicles on the road in the United States, capable of running on higher blends of ethanol, not just the 90-percent gasoline most of us are stuck with. Here’s a model year 2017 FFV guide from American Ethanol. Some of the most popular new vehicles in the country come in an FFV configuration, including the Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado, and Ram 1500. If you’re not sure whether your own vehicle is flex-fuel capable, use our interactive Check Your Car tool. You can also tell your dealer you’d like to have a choice of more flex-fuel makes and models. But buying or leasing any alternative-fuel vehicle — whether it runs on electricity, hydrogen, or CNG — gets us closer to the goal of fuel choice.
Seek out alternative fueling stations. There are more than 23,000 fueling stations that offer alternatives to diesel and gasoline, according to our 
national map, which uses data supplied by the Department of Energy. Among them are nearly 3,000 retailers that sell E85 ethanol blend. Can’t find one near you? Go to your local station and ask them to consider carrying it. Remind them that the profit margins on E85 are higher than for regular!
Stay up to date. Read our Over a Barrel blog, follow our social channels (including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram), and explore FuelFreedom.org to learn more about our work. Share information to help educate your friends and family members. We’re helping shape the policymaking process for the nation’s fuel economy standards for model years 2022-25, and you can keep up with the fast-moving developments on our Policy CAFE page. Soon we’ll ask you to weigh in with your own feedback, when the government begins calling for public comments.
Share. Every day we’re talking with policymakers, working with retail partners to expand access to alternative fuels, and informing the public about the many benefits of fuel choice, including reduced oil imports; cleaner air; and creating jobs. If you told five people about the important work we do, even encourage them to watch our documentary PUMP, the breadth and power of our movement will only increase.
Change doesn’t happen by sitting back and waiting for it. Action is needed, and it starts with you. If you’d like to support our work, please donate using our secure online form.
Related posts:
- The flex-fuel Dodge Charger: How to be cool and green
- Saluting automakers that support fuel choice
- Meet some of the retailers that offer alt-fuels
- VIDEO: Oil feeds an 18-million-barrel-a-day habit
- Looking back at a fruitful year, and vowing to keep fighting in 2017
