Last week, I wrote about <a href="http://www.ethanolproducer.com/blog/article/2014/12/e85-prices-shock-epm-reader" target="_blank">E85 priced above E10</a>.&nbsp;Now I have a reader letting me know about attractively priced E85 in Minnesota. Let&rsquo;s keep this going.
Renewable Fan commented on my blog to say that on Dec. 12, E85 in Alexandra, Minnesota, was priced at $1.37, compared to E10 for $2.37. At other Minnesota gas stations he saw E85 prices that ranged from $1.39 and $1.46. This commenter wants to know why, just across the Wisconsin border there are gas stations selling E85 for $2.35 and $2.45, compared to $2.49 for E10. &ldquo;How (can some gas stations in) Minnesota can sell E85 for such low prices compared to Wisconsin and other states,&rdquo; the reader asks.
The answer is, I&rsquo;m not sure, but I'd like to know too, so I&rsquo;m working on it. I do know that some retailers are electing to move away from big name gas suppliers and <a href="http://www.ethanolproducer.com/articles/11237/e15-retailers-get-creative" target="_blank">become independent</a>, with good results.&nbsp;I also know that ethanol producers in Iowa are working to cut out the middleman and provide <a href="http://www.ethanolproducer.com/articles/11033/on-site-rin-collection" target="_blank">lower price E85 directly to retailers</a>, in an effort to help lower E85 prices.&nbsp;It&rsquo;s an effort that seems to be having a&nbsp;<a href="http://ethanolproducer.com/articles/11193/iowa-sets-new-record-for-first-quarter-e85-sales" target="_blank">positive impact</a>.
To learn more about what&rsquo;s going on in Minnesota, I&rsquo;ll be asking some questions this week, in preparation for a future blog. If you have some ideas on this or know someone I should be talking to, please send me an email to <a href="mailto:hjessen@bbiinternational.com">hjessen@bbiinternational.com</a>.
In the meantime, I&rsquo;d like to encourage readers to document E85 prices that make them scratch their heads, in a good or a bad way. I find it really interesting when readers give me a heads up on this and I am always glad to hear from them. However, there&rsquo;s something else they can do too.
Last week, I briefly mentioned the Renewable Fuels Association&rsquo;s <a href="http://www.ethanolrfa.org/news/entry/rfa-announces-e85-post-your-price-contest" target="_blank">E85 Post Your Price Contest</a>.&nbsp;I highly recommend you participate in that. Here&rsquo;s some additional information.
RFA is asking drivers to send in a picture of <a href="http://www.chooseethanol.com/PostYourPrice" target="_blank">E85 dispensers, showing prices, and information about where and when it was taken, at this link</a>.&nbsp;The contest ends just before midnight on Feb. 17. Not only could you win free E85 (for a month or a year) but you would be helping the association gather useful data on E85 prices. &ldquo;The more information we collect on E85 prices, the more we are able to track and ensure consumers receive a fair price for the high-octane, environmentally-friendly fuel,&rdquo; said Bob Dinneen, RFA president and CEO, in a press release about the contest.
I don&rsquo;t know about you, but I&rsquo;m very interested in learning more about that data, when the contest wraps up. I think it&rsquo;s safe to say it will show the price of E85 is highly variable in various regions of the U.S. While some of this is expected, since ethanol and gasoline prices are a commodity that do go up at various times, it&rsquo;s clear<a href="http://www.ethanolproducer.com/articles/11520/new-rfa-case-study-shows-evidence-of-e85-price-gouging" target="_blank"> E85 prices are sometimes set artificially high</a>.&nbsp;And, at the same time, some retailers are pricing E85 competitively and selling more higher ethanol blends this way.&nbsp;
Watch for more information in a future blog.&nbsp;

In the last few weeks, the topic of flex-fuel vehicles and E85 prices has resonated with readers of my blog. 

E85 priced competitively in Minnesota, reader says

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