Understanding Flex Fuel Cars: A Guide To Rental Options

what is flex fuel rental cars

A flexible fuel or dual-fuel vehicle is an alternative fuel vehicle that is designed to run on more than one fuel, typically gasoline blended with either ethanol or methanol. Flex fuel is a mixture made of gasoline and between 51-83 percent ethanol. Whether renting a flex-fuel vehicle is a good deal or not depends largely on what was in the tank at the time you picked it up.

Characteristics Values
Alternative fuel vehicle Designed to run on more than one fuel
Mixture Gasoline and between 51-83 percent ethanol
Combustion engine Capable of running on gasoline, E-85, or E-100
Retrofitted Add a natural gas tank and the corresponding injection system
Bi-fuel Capable to switch back and forth from gasoline to the other fuel

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Alternative fuel vehicles that run on more than one fuel

A flexible fuel or dual-fuel vehicle is an alternative fuel vehicle that is designed to run on more than one fuel, typically gasoline blended with either ethanol or methanol. The term flexible-fuel vehicles is sometimes used to include other alternative fuel vehicles that can run with compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), or hydrogen. However, all these vehicles actually are bi-fuel and not flexible-fuel vehicles, because they have engines that store the other fuel in a separate tank, and the engine runs on one fuel at a time.

Flex fuel is a mixture made of gasoline and between 51-83 percent ethanol. Bi-fuel vehicles have the capability to switch back and forth from gasoline to the other fuel, manually or automatically. The most common available fuel in the market for bi-fuel cars is natural gas (CNG), and by 2008 there were 9.6 million natural gas vehicles, led by Pakistan (2.0 million), Argentina (1.7 million), and Brazil (1.6 million).

Whether renting a flex-fuel vehicle is a good deal or not depends largely on what was in the tank at the time you picked it up. If you get a tank of gas, the numbers are probably going to work out in your favor. But if you get a tank of E-85, it’ll be a wash at best. And in the worst case, you could get a tank of E-85 and then end up returning it with gas. That would mean that you’d basically be out that $10 or more. Unfortunately, there’s no way to know whether there is E-85 or gas in the tank when you pick up the rental car.

Flex-fuel hybrid electric and flex-fuel plug-in hybrid are two types of hybrid vehicles built with a combustion engine capable of running on gasoline, E-85, or E-100 to help drive the wheels in conjunction with the electric engine or to recharge the battery pack that powers the electric engine.

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Gasoline blended with ethanol or methanol

A flexible fuel or dual-fuel vehicle is an alternative fuel vehicle that is designed to run on more than one fuel, typically gasoline blended with either ethanol or methanol. The term flexible-fuel vehicles is sometimes used to include other alternative fuel vehicles that can run with compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), or hydrogen. However, all these vehicles actually are bi-fuel and not flexible-fuel vehicles, because they have engines that store the other fuel in a separate tank, and the engine runs on one fuel at a time.

Flex fuel is a mixture made of gasoline and between 51-83 percent ethanol. It burns cleaner and can provide more horsepower. However, only some cars can run flex fuel, and while it burns cleaner and can provide more horsepower, there are some caveats.

Whether renting a flex-fuel vehicle is a good deal or not depends largely on what was in the tank at the time you picked it up. If you get a tank of gas, the numbers are probably going to work out in your favor. But if you get a tank of E-85, it’ll be a wash at best. And in the worst case, you could get a tank of E-85 and then end up returning it with gas. That would mean that you’d basically be out that $10 or more. Unfortunately, there’s no way to know whether there is E-85 or gas in the tank when you pick up the rental car.

Vehicles with this adaptation are known in Brazil as "tri-fuel" cars. Flex-fuel hybrid electric and flex-fuel plug-in hybrid are two types of hybrid vehicles built with a combustion engine capable of running on gasoline, E-85, or E-100 to help drive the wheels in conjunction with the electric engine or to recharge the battery pack that powers the electric engine.

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Mixture of gasoline and 51-83% ethanol

A flexible fuel vehicle is an alternative fuel vehicle that is designed to run on more than one fuel, typically gasoline blended with either ethanol or methanol. The term flexible-fuel vehicles is sometimes used to include other alternative fuel vehicles that can run with compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), or hydrogen. However, all these vehicles are bi-fuel and not flexible-fuel vehicles, because they have engines that store the other fuel in a separate tank, and the engine runs on one fuel at a time.

Flex fuel is a mixture made of gasoline and between 51-83 percent ethanol. It burns cleaner and can provide more horsepower. However, only some cars can run flex fuel, and there are some caveats.

Whether renting a flex-fuel vehicle is a good deal or not depends largely on what was in the tank at the time you picked it up. If you get a tank of gas, the numbers are probably going to work out in your favor. But if you get a tank of E-85, it’ll be a wash at best. And in the worst case, you could get a tank of E-85 and then end up returning it with gas. That would mean that you’d basically be out that $10 or more. Unfortunately, there’s no way to know whether there is E-85 or gas in the tank when you pick up the rental car.

Flex-fuel hybrid electric and flex-fuel plug-in hybrid are two types of hybrid vehicles built with a combustion engine capable of running on gasoline, E-85, or E-100 to help drive the wheels in conjunction with the electric engine or to recharge the battery pack that powers the electric engine.

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Burns cleaner and provides more horsepower

Flex fuel is a mixture made of gasoline and between 51-83 percent ethanol. This type of fuel is designed to run on more than one fuel, typically gasoline blended with either ethanol or methanol. It burns cleaner and can provide more horsepower than regular gasoline. However, only some cars can run flex fuel, and while it burns cleaner and can provide more horsepower, there are some caveats.

Flex fuel is a mixture made of gasoline and between 51-83 percent ethanol. This type of fuel is designed to run on more than one fuel, typically gasoline blended with either ethanol or methanol. It burns cleaner and can provide more horsepower than regular gasoline. However, only some cars can run flex fuel, and while it burns cleaner and can provide more horsepower, there are some caveats.

Flex fuel is a mixture made of gasoline and between 51-83 percent ethanol. This type of fuel is designed to run on more than one fuel, typically gasoline blended with either ethanol or methanol. It burns cleaner and can provide more horsepower than regular gasoline. However, only some cars can run flex fuel, and while it burns cleaner and can provide more horsepower, there are some caveats.

Flex fuel is a mixture made of gasoline and between 51-83 percent ethanol. This type of fuel is designed to run on more than one fuel, typically gasoline blended with either ethanol or methanol. It burns cleaner and can provide more horsepower than regular gasoline. However, only some cars can run flex fuel, and while it burns cleaner and can provide more horsepower, there are some caveats.

Flex fuel is a mixture made of gasoline and between 51-83 percent ethanol. This type of fuel is designed to run on more than one fuel, typically gasoline blended with either ethanol or methanol. It burns cleaner and can provide more horsepower than regular gasoline. However, only some cars can run flex fuel, and while it burns cleaner and can provide more horsepower, there are some caveats.

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Good deal if you get a tank of gas

If you're planning to rent a car, you might want to consider a flexible fuel vehicle or dual-fuel vehicle. These vehicles are designed to run on more than one fuel, typically gasoline blended with either ethanol or methanol. This can be a good deal if you get a tank of gas because it will work out in your favor. However, it's important to note that not all cars can run flex fuel.

Flex fuel is a mixture made of gasoline and between 51-83 percent ethanol. The term flexible-fuel vehicles is sometimes used to include other alternative fuel vehicles that can run with compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), or hydrogen. However, these vehicles are bi-fuel and not flexible-fuel vehicles because they have engines that store the other fuel in a separate tank, and the engine runs on one fuel at a time.

When renting a flex-fuel vehicle, the deal largely depends on what was in the tank at the time you picked it up. If you get a tank of gas, the numbers are likely to work out in your favor. However, if you get a tank of E-85, it'll be a wash at best and in the worst case, you could get a tank of E-85 and then end up returning it with gas. That would mean that you'd basically be out that $10 or more. Unfortunately, there's no way to know whether there is E-85 or gas in the tank when you pick up the rental car.

Flex-fuel vehicles can be hybrid electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles built with a combustion engine capable of running on gasoline, E-85, or E-100 to help drive the wheels in conjunction with the electric engine or to recharge the battery pack that powers the electric engine.

Frequently asked questions

A flex fuel rental car is a rental car that can run on more than one fuel, typically gasoline blended with either ethanol or methanol.

Flex fuel is a mixture made of gasoline and between 51-83 percent ethanol.

Flex fuel burns cleaner and can provide more horsepower.

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