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Ethanol

Now your favorite snack can power your car!

If you had a drink with dinner last night, you're familiar with ethanol. Ethanol is alcohol - the same type found in alcoholic beverages. While alcoholic beverages are made from grapes and grains, ethanol fuel can be made from all sorts of plant material, including wood chips, corn stalks and sugar cane. In the U.S., ethanol is usually made from corn. Most gasoline engines can run on gasoline mixed with up to 10 percent ethanol. However, in order to run on higher percentages of ethanol, cars need to have modified engines. Also, there is less energy per gallon in ethanol than in gas, so more of it is needed to travel a given distance.

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